Trump Calls on UK to Abandon Wind Power and Revive North Sea Drilling

The U.S. president’s comments come amid rising gas prices and growing tensions over the UK’s net-zero transition.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands after a joint press conference at the White House in Washington on Feb. 27, 2025. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

U.S. President Donald Trump urged the UK to reverse its shift towards wind energy and instead unlock the full potential of the North Sea’s vast oil reserves.

He argued it would slash energy costs and restore energy security to British citizens.

Posting to his platform Truth Social, Trump said that the “UK’s energy costs would go way down, and fast” if Britain reembraced traditional energy production.

Trump specifically called for “modernized drilling in the North Sea,” which he said holds “large amounts of oil waiting to be taken” and could support drilling “for a century,” with Aberdeen serving as the key operational hub.

The comments follow a new energy price cap announcement by the UK’s energy regulator Ofgem, which indicates that gas prices have nearly doubled since the war in Ukraine.

Trump has long maintained that wind turbines are not only unreliable and costly but detrimental to landscapes and economies alike.

‘Open Up the North Sea’

This is not Trump’s first call for the UK to pivot away from wind energy and “open up the North Sea.”

In January, he said that Britain “is making a very big mistake” by moving away from oil and gas.

The North Sea, home to some of Europe’s richest fossil fuel resources, remains a vital strategic asset.

Scotland is Europe’s largest oil producer and second-largest gas producer. Yet under the Labour government’s policy, no new oil, gas, or coal licences will be issued, as part of the UK’s drive towards net zero emissions.

“The science is clear that the world needs to take urgent action and that current plans for global production of oil and gas are not compatible with limiting global warming to 1.5°C,” the government said.

Trump’s recent remarks also come as he celebrates the success of the new Economic Prosperity Deal with the UK, which eliminates U.S. tariffs on British automotive, steel, and aluminium exports.

Reactions from UK

Trump’s comments found support from Scottish Conservative MSP Douglas Lumsden, who represents the North East of Scotland.

“Donald Trump is right! The North Sea still has a future and has the potential to meet half of our oil and gas demand (that will still exist regardless of the Govts net zero targets). Yet Labour and the SNP want to shut it down, kill off jobs, and make us poorer!” he said on social media platform X.

Lumsden’s remarks echo growing concerns across the UK that the government’s net-zero push is being executed without a practical plan to protect workers and maintain energy security.

Despite mounting criticism, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has doubled down on his commitment to Britain’s green energy agenda.

At the Energy Security Summit in April, Starmer announced £300 million in fast-tracked funding for offshore wind supply chains and reiterated his goal of decarbonising the power grid by 2030.

He stressed that Britain is no longer willing to be exposed to the volatility of international fossil fuel markets, highlighting that half of the UK’s recessions since the 1970s have been triggered by fossil fuel shocks.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband backed the government’s “hard-headed” approach to the role of low carbon power as a route to energy security.

Meanwhile, according to International Energy Agency, oil and gas will remain critical parts of the global energy mix for years to come.

Industry Workforce

Critics note that the Labour government has failed to offer a credible plan for maintaining energy stability during the transition.

Britain’s oil and gas industry has warned of growing unemployment and a looming skills exodus.

During a Westminster Hall debate last month, Aberdeen North MP Kirsty Blackman said workers were increasingly taking their skills abroad, particularly to places like Dubai.

“We are at a tipping point. The risk is that these highly mobile, highly paid oil and gas workers will go abroad,” she warned, noting that the rate of renewable job creation has not kept pace with job losses in fossil fuels.

Energy minister Michael Shanks acknowledged the transition had been poorly managed and vowed not to repeat past mistakes.