Strong clean energy foundation in the Nordics
Energy is both the biggest challenge and the biggest lever for climate action. The Nordic region is a well-established platform with abundant hydro, wind and nuclear power. In 2024, both Sweden and Finland produced over 90 % of their energy using clean sources.
The energy system must more than double its current capacity to meet the growing needs of industry, transport, and buildings. Emerging technologies such as wind, solar, hydrogen, and energy storage offer major opportunities for climate-driven business growth.
The project
Cornerstones of the Energy Future is a strategic project that aims to strengthen Finland's knowledge base and foresight capabilities in support of the clean energy transition.
The main task of the project is to create a science-based framework that helps to identify scalable solutions for the energy transition and supports strategic decision-making by companies and the public sector.
We are moving towards carbon-neutral societies, but the energy transition is a complex process
Today, many valuable scenarios exist for individual sectors, technologies and policy areas, yet they are often developed in isolation and do not form a coherent overall picture. This makes it difficult for businesses to form long-term investment views and for policymakers to assess the feasibility and timing of different pathways.
The project therefore focuses on building an integrated, system-level view of Finland’s future energy system, grounded in current science, technology and physical constraints. By doing so, it seeks to clarify which transition pathways are realistically achievable, which face binding limits, and where strategic choices truly matter.
The project proceeds with three work packages to be implemented between 2025 and 2027. The work packages will
- define the global drivers and scientific and technical constraints guiding Finland's energy future;
- develop a dynamic data model that describes the interdependencies of Finland's energy system, as well as a digital user interface for utilizing the model; and
- test the model in collaboration with stakeholders and communicate the produced information to influence social debate and decision-making.
The project clarifies the limits and opportunities of Finland's energy transition
- by improving strategic decision-making in both the private and public sectors regarding investments in clean energy,
- by supporting public debate ahead of the 2027 Finnish parliamentary elections and the formation of the new government's program, making the future options for the energy sector visible and open to discussion among a wide range of actors, and
- by providing a platform for cooperation to strengthen the knowledge base on energy and climate issues nationally and internationally.
