East Greenland town calls for protests against US oil exploration

The local council in Ittoqqortoormiit, one of the world’s most remote settlements, has urged Greenlanders to demonstrate on Monday against planned oil drilling in the nearby Nunap Qeqqa region, also known as Jameson Land.

The call was first reported by Greenlandic newspaper Sermitsiaq and confirmed to DR by Hans Brønlund, the council chair, who said he hopes the message will reach Denmark as well.

“I hope people in most towns in Greenland will demonstrate to show we are not for sale. We are not the US’s gas station. We are Greenlanders,” Brønlund said by phone from Ittoqqortoormiit.

US-based Greenland Energy Company holds Greenland’s only three active oil licences in the area through an agreement with British firm 80 Mile and its subsidiary White Flame Energy. The licences permit exploration and potential extraction if commercially viable oil is found, though actual drilling still requires approval from Greenlandic authorities.

Greenland halted new oil and gas licences in 2021, but these three were granted before the decision and remain valid.

Brønlund said he and others in the town of around 300 people are concerned about the risk of oil spills. Nunap Qeqqa has served as a hunting ground for muskox and seals for centuries, and he fears contamination from chemicals or accidents.

“At first, I thought this project could bring jobs and development. But after a public meeting in June with Robert Price, who previously represented the project, many of us became sceptical,” Brønlund said. “I feel the local population was manipulated.”

Not all residents oppose the project, he acknowledged, but most are uneasy. A participant in the June meeting described a “bad atmosphere” and said Price faced many tough questions.

Greenland Energy Company declined to comment when contacted by DR.

Protests are planned for 19:00 local time (22:00 Danish time) on Monday outside municipal offices or town squares across Greenland.