Table toppers face a bioenergy challenge

Colin Ley gives an overview of the sector in Scandinavia.
Sweden, Denmark and Finland head the latest global energy transition league published by the World Economic Forum (WEF), with Norway and Estonia also listed as top-10 performers.
The new table, released in late June, highlights Scandinavia and the Baltic countries continuing drive towards the creation of national energy systems which are ‘more equitable, secure and sustainable’ to use WEF’s core term of reference. This is despite global transition in general being described by the Forum as having ‘lost momentum’ in recent times, in the face of increasing uncertainty worldwide.
Transition performance is judged according to three key levers; evidence of reforming current energy systems to reduce emissions, deploying clean energy solutions at scale, and reducing energy intensity per unit of Gross Domestic Product. For table-toppers Sweden and second-placed Denmark, their respective 2024 rankings mean they have maintained a top-three record throughout the past decade.
Strong bioenergy usage has been key to keeping the Nordic and Baltic countries’ top-ranking status during this...