American TV host Dr. Phil to document Greenland oil drilling expedition

American television personality Dr. Phil will travel to Greenland in July to document an oil exploration project led by Greenland Energy Company, according to a video posted on his YouTube channel.

The company’s CEO, Robert Price, claims the Jameson Land Basin in eastern Greenland may hold over 13 billion barrels of oil. In the video, titled I’m heading to Greenland for one of the most exciting energy expeditions of all time, Price states: “In my view, it’s not a question of whether this massive oil field will be found, but when.”

Dr. Phil, whose legal name is Phillip Calvin McGraw, describes the venture as a high-stakes mission: “Billions of dollars are buried under the ice. It’s one of the harshest places on Earth, and one man believes he can find them.” The trip will form the basis of a multi-part documentary series, with plans for a 24/7 live stream of the drilling operations.

Ole Christiansen, former director of the now-defunct Greenlandic mineral exploration firm Nunaminerals, dismisses the project as a marketing stunt. “There’s no indication of oil there,” he says, noting that a previous American company, Arco, spent heavily investigating the area but chose not to drill. “It’s just geopolitics and marketing—disrupting the market, presenting potential to attract investors. It’s a way to drain money from the market.”

Greenland Energy Company, listed on a U.S. stock exchange earlier this year, plans two initial test drillings in the Jameson Land Basin before the end of 2026. The 8,100-square-kilometer exploration area is slightly larger than the Danish island of Zealand. Price acknowledges that finding commercially viable oil could take years—if it exists at all.

Christiansen compares the odds to “finding a needle in a haystack,” citing that only a handful of the 30–40 companies searching for minerals in Greenland have ever made significant discoveries. Even if oil is found, he adds, it must exist in sellable quantities. “You might find some tar or oil traces—a good sign—but getting to large, extractable volumes is a massive effort.”

Dr. Phil portrays Price as a risk-taker: “He’s an old man who drills when no one else dares to.” The operation will involve around 50 people living in temporary housing, with local Greenlanders hired for polar bear protection. Medical staff and a blood bank will be on-site due to the remote location.

Greenland Energy Company has partnered with British firm 80 Mile, which holds three licenses for both exploration and potential commercial extraction. Greenland’s government has not blocked the project, despite its broader moratorium on new oil and gas licensing.