Article
Balancing immediate milestones and meeting long-term growth ambitions
Published
25 June 2025
In the fast-paced world of energy transition, both established companies and startups encounter difficulties when trying to scale. Why? The challenge lies in the dual necessity for leaders to juggle immediate, pressing milestones, and have the foresight to meet long-term growth needs, all the while operating in a macroeconomic environment characterised by increasing regulatory and financial uncertainty.
And it is certainly not an easy task, as there are plenty of examples of even very mature organisations struggling to scale their business effectively:
- Northvolt announces bankruptcy, following production problems, the loss of a major customer, and a lack of funding – Northvolt files for bankruptcy.
- The publicly listed company Green Hydrogen Systems has now gone bankrupt after several months of reconstruction – Green Hydrogen systems bankrupt.
- Ørsted halts development of FlagshipONE, its e-methanol project in Sweden, due to rising costs and the absence of long-term purchase contracts – Ørsted Halts development of FlagshipOne.
Through interviews and engagements with companies in the energy transition space, we have identified three common and critical challenges that leaders face when scaling their businesses.
Three key challenges
The first step toward scalable solutions
How should leaders address these challenges effectively? The first step is to reframe them as precise guiding questions that yield actionable insights – insights that can, in turn, inform the next steps in the scaling journey.
Secure sustainable financing – Equip the organisation to sustainably raise equity, secure debt, and obtain grants and awards, ensuring longer-term financial resilience.
- Are we proactively cultivating and maintaining relationships with a diversified network of impact investors, climate funds, and venture capitalists to ensure continuous fundraising?
- Do we currently have the right capabilities to navigate the processes and requirements for raising equity or debt funding specifically targeted at energy transition initiatives (i.e. Green Climate Fund, EUIF, Green Loans etc.)?
- Is our business case robust, with a proven track record, and can we effectively pitch it to investors?
Build commercial strength – Build a clear commercial strategy and supporting capabilities poised for effective market penetration and sustained revenue growth.
- How well-defined is our target market?
- Is our value proposition effectively aligned with target customer needs and existing market opportunities?
- Are our commercial capabilities aligned with our value proposition and the market structures we are operating in? (I.e. Capabilities within pipeline, opportunity, territory, account, and partner management)
Establish operational resilience – Acquire capabilities for initial asset development, develop a scalable organisational structure, along with adaptable capabilities, operations, infrastructure, and supplier/vendor relationships, all positioned to effectively respond to growth – but also to changes in regulation, permitting, and technology.
- Do we possess the required capabilities and processes (particularly processes for Final Investment Decisions and project development) efficiently delivering on initial projects whilst being geared for scaling or changes in regulatory requirements?
- Are we proactively monitoring changes in regulation and technology that can affect our value proposition?
- Do we have scalable systems and infrastructure, along with strong supplier and vendor management practices, to minimise supply chain risks and ensure reliable sourcing?
Are you struggling to answer these questions? If so, you’re not alone. Energy transition companies are finding it challenging to adapt and grow their businesses to be fit for the future – prompting a fundamental rethink of the scalability of their business and operating models.
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