Donald Trump has urged the UK to “open up the North Sea” and “get rid of windmills”.
The US President-elect accused the UK of “making a very big mistake” in relation to its energy policies.
Posting on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump included a link to an article in which APA Corporation, formerly Apache, announced it would cease all operations in the North Sea by the end of 2029.
The US oil company made the announcement in November 2024 at its quarterly earnings call, citing regulations requiring “substantial new emissions control investments” and the UK’s energy profits levy, or windfall tax, for the decision.
Chief executive officer John Christmann said at the time: “After six months of evaluation, we have concluded that the investment required to comply with these regulations… coupled with the onerous financial impact of the energy profits levy makes production of hydrocarbons beyond the year 2029 uneconomic.”