Washington, 17 November 2024 (dpa/MIA) - US President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday announced that he has picked Chris Wright, an oil and gas industry executive, to be his energy secretary.

Wright is the founder and chief executive officer of Liberty Energy, an oilfield services firm based in Denver, in the US state of Colorado. The company advertises innovative solutions for the extraction of oil and natural gas using fracking.

"I am thrilled to announce that Chris Wright will be joining my Administration as both United States Secretary of Energy, and Member of the newly formed Council of National Energy," Trump said in a statement.

Trump praised Wright as a "leading technologist and entrepreneur in Energy."

Wright is in favour of promoting fossil fuels and has in the past expressed doubt about a link between climate change and worsening extreme weather.

Trump said that the Council of National Energy would consist of departments and agencies dealing with US energy.

"This Council will oversee the path to U.S. ENERGY DOMINANCE by cutting red tape, enhancing private sector investments across all sectors of the Economy, and by focusing on INNOVATION over longstanding, but totally unnecessary, regulation," Trump said.

Since his election to the White House, Trump has caused a stir with some of the choices for his upcoming government.

Ministerial posts usually have to be confirmed by the Senate. Several Republicans in the chamber have already indicated that they have some questions for the candidates. However, Trump is pressuring his fellow Republicans in the Senate to bypass the elaborate confirmation process by means of an exemption.

Photo: EPA