Faroe Islands should not pursue oil exploration, environmental group warns

The Faroe Islands must not resume oil exploration, as it would undermine the transition to green energy, the head of the Faroese Society for Nature and Environment (FNU) has stated.

Speaking to public broadcaster Kringvarp Føroya, Jón Kragesteen, chair of FNU, called oil extraction a “wasteful resource policy” exploited by those dependent on the oil industry. He warned that restarting oil searches would set the islands back even further in their green energy shift.

The debate over oil exploration in the Faroes has resurfaced amid global instability and energy security concerns. Jens Meinhard Rasmussen, director of Skansa and Smyril Line, previously argued in a radio interview that the islands should consider domestic oil reserves given ongoing wars and geopolitical tensions.

However, Kragesteen countered that oil is not the solution, emphasizing that the Faroe Islands already has one of the world’s highest per capita emissions. Pursuing oil now, he said, would move the country in the wrong direction.