Wind farm developers Orsted and NextEra joined would-be green pioneers from the oil & gas sector, BP and Equinor, on a new list of the world’s 100 most influential companies compiled by US current affairs publication Time.
The quartet joined a list of businesses Time deemed to be “shaping our future” after being ranked on factors such as relevance, impact, innovation, leadership, ambition and success.
Denmark-based offshore wind pacesetter Orsted was praised for actually enacting the green transformation many companies are only talking about, while US wind operator NextEra was hailed as a “disruptor” whose market value had briefly exceeded oil giant ExxonMobil.
Norway’s Equinor made the list in recognition of its approach to the energy transition – including the backing of large-scale offshore wind projects – as Time noted that “to be an oil company in 2021 is to stand at the edge of a precipice you helped build”.
Fellow oil & gas giant BP was also singled out for setting goals that had “other oil majors racing to match those targets”.
Other energy-related companies on the Time list included electric mobility pioneers Tesla and BYD, which joined a disparate group of organisations spanning tech giants such as Apple and Microsoft, social media platforms, and entertainment groups like Spotify and Netflix.
The 2021 list is the first company 100 produced by Time, which is best known for its iconic magazine covers beloved of celebrities and politicians.
