The world’s largest oil traders are rushing to plough billions of dollars into renewable energy projects in the next five years, as they speed up preparations for a dramatic shift in the world’s energy mix.

Marco Dunand, chief executive of Swiss commodity trader Mercuria, said the company was investing $1.5bn into projects in North America with private equity partners, while Torbjorn Tornqvist, chief executive of Gunvor, said he planned to commit 10 per cent of the company’s equity — hundreds of millions of dollars — over the next two years.

“If you want to exist in 10 years’ time and don’t want to be in renewables then I think it is going to be tough,” Mr Dunand told the FT Commodities Global Summit. “We don’t have a choice” but meet the Paris climate goals, he said, calling it the world’s “biggest challenge”.