Trump says North Sea windmills are 'very big mistake', calls to 'get rid' of them

President-elect Donald Trump called to get rid of the North Sea windmills in a post on his social media platform Truth Social on Friday. The request follows a report detailing how US oil companies are planning to exit the North Sea due to the British government's tax increase on oil and gas production as part of its 2030 renewable energy initiatives, which favors wind farms.

"The UK is making a very big mistake. Open up the North Sea. Get rid of Windmills!" Trump wrote.




Oil companies have gradually left the North Sea in recent decades due to the British government's increase in taxes. A November report regarding the intentions of Apache, a division of US oil and gas firm APA Corp, to withdraw from the North Sea by the end of 2029 promoted the president-elect to respond. The company anticipated a 20 percent decline in revenue in 2025, Reuters reported.

The British government announced in October of last year that it would raise a windfall tax on North Sea oil and gas producers from 35 percent to 38 percent and extend the levy for an additional year. The government hopes to raise funds for its renewable energy initiatives using the tax profits from gas and oil. Britain aims to reduce dependency on gas-fired power plants and decarbonize its power industry by 2030.

In July of last year, US oil giant Exxon completed its withdrawal from the North Sea region. 

The offshore wind industry in Britain and other European nations has had to reevaluate their investments due to the rising cost of building wind farms more than 62 miles offshore. This is due to increased interest rates, supply chain issues, and technical challenges.