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       LONDON: US President-elect Donald Trump has criticised the British government’s energy policy with a demand the country “open up” the ageing North Sea oil and gas basin and get rid of wind farms.

       The North Sea is one of the world’s oldest offshore oil and gas basins where production has steadily declined since the start of the millennium.

       At the same time, it has become one of the world’s largest offshore wind regions.

       “The UK is making a very big mistake. Open up the North Sea. Get rid of Wind-mills!” Trump said in a post on his social media platform Truth Social on Friday.

       Trump has long opposed wind farms. In 2015, he unsuccessfully fought plans to construct one near his luxury golf course in Scotland.

       His post on Friday included a link to a report from last November about US oil and gas producer APA Corp’s unit Apache’s plans to exit the North Sea by year-end 2029.

       Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government won last year’s elections with a pledge to build up Britain’s low-carbon economy.

       Published in Dawn, January 5th, 2025