Winners of 2022 Global Leadership Awards in Energy Management Announced

The international Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) forum is pleased to announce the winners of its Energy Management Leadership Awards for 2022. These awards recognize organizations that have implemented energy management systems to achieve energy, economic, and sustainability benefits. Three organizations have attained the prestigious Award of Excellence in Energy Management:

• Grupo Libertad, Argentina
• PT. ISM Bogasari Flour Mills Tbk, Indonesia
• Tyndall National Institute, Ireland

Another 26 organizations (listed below) have earned the distinguished Energy Management Insight Award.

On September 23, 2022, recipients of the Award of Excellence will be formally recognized during the Global Clean Energy Action Forum, a joint convening of the 13th Clean Energy Ministerial and 7th Mission Innovation ministerial. Fundamental to the vision of a low- or no-carbon future is energy management, which saves energy and reduces emissions. To that end, the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) offers the Energy Management Leadership Awards to honor those organizations that have demonstrated sustainable practices through a structured energy management system that is certified to ISO 50001, the international energy management standard. The Global Clean Energy Action Forum will take place September 21–23, 2022, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

“All of the winners of the Energy Management Leadership Awards are providing a great service to other organizations and to our clean energy future,” said Dan Dorner, Head of the CEM Secretariat. “By providing real-world examples of energy management systems and their extensive benefits, they help build the business case for investing in energy efficiency. These forward-thinking organizations have taken real action in the 21^st century green economy, making them shining examples of international leadership. I am proud, on behalf of all CEM and all its stakeholders, to play a part in recognizing your commitment to the future, and I heartily congratulate you all.”

To qualify for an award, an organization first has to establish an energy management system at one or more company facilities. Although single facilities can reap the benefits of implementation, several organizations leveraged their energy management expertise across multiple facilities to multiply their savings. The next step is having the system certified to ISO 50001, which involves more than simply meeting a set of criteria (such as energy savings targets). The standard provides a framework that guides facilities toward a system in which energy awareness becomes an integral part of business operations, shaping behaviors (e.g., aiming for optimal energy performance settings and operations across different business units of the organization), and decision-making (e.g., purchasing low-emissions equipment). Organizations must submit a structured case study describing the system, its implementation, the benefits, and any challenges. The case studies are submitted for review by an independent panel of international experts (the 2022 Selection Committee), who determine the winners.

Case studies by the 2022 award winners are available on the CEM website. A summary of the 2022 awardees that provides highlights about all 29 recipients is also available. The CEM website also provides biographies of the energy management experts on the 2022 Selection Committee.

The case studies become part of an online library to encourage, inspire, and assist other organizations looking to improve their energy performance. In this way, all awardees not only further the CEM mission directly by reducing emissions but also help raise global awareness of ISO 50001 systems and the energy, environmental, and business benefits that energy management can achieve.

The awards also underscore ISO 50001’s flexibility and applicability across sectors, as award winners represent diverse organization types. Of the 2022 awardees, 20 are in the industrial sector, 4 in the commercial sector, and 5 in the public sector. Collectively, this year’s winners (representing 173 facilities in 20 countries and regions) reported annual energy cost savings of over $121 million, and emissions reductions of over 2.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, the equivalent of taking 476,383 passenger vehicles off the road.

“The 2022 Energy Management Leadership Awards highlight a growing commitment to the energy transition in today’s organizations, whether they are in the private or public sector,” said Tareq Emtairah, Director of the Department of Energy of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). “These energy leaders recognize that global warming affects us all, and so the energy transition is our shared responsibility. Energy management systems can drive continuous energy performance improvement, and in many cases, significant improvements can be realized with small changes. Energy management represents a great opportunity to take action now.

“These awardees are demonstrating that improving energy performance is not only a climate change mitigation strategy but also a sound business practice, providing benefits from reduced energy use and costs to enhanced productivity to improved working conditions to overall socio-economic gains. We thank all our awardees for helping us showcase the significant role that energy efficiency can and must play in the energy transition.”

The Energy Management Leadership Award case studies, including those from the 2022 award winners, are now available on the CEM website. Brief overviews of each the three Award of Excellence winners are as follows:

• Grupo Libertad: Grupo Libertad is a brand of superstores and malls, with 15 facilities across Argentina. Libertad set a goal to reduce its energy costs, not only as a business strategy but also as a reinforcement of its commitment to reduce its carbon footprint. The company launched an energy efficiency project in 2018, and by 2020, it had reached a plateau. To overcome the plateau, the Libertad team reset its focus on energy performance and turned to ISO 50001 as a way to systematize ongoing energy efficiency efforts, ensure that achievements would be sustained, and ensure that methodologies would be documented and practiced consistently. Libertad reviewed and analyzed billing data for every form of energy, identifying significant energy users (SEUs), variables affecting energy consumption, and ways to reduce their consumption. Key energy-saving projects included repairs to refrigeration camera doors, optimizing refrigeration compressors, updating lighting across the superstore, and setting up automated controls for air conditioning. As a result of Libertad’s efforts, the company’s Rivera Indarte location improved its energy performance 12% over two years, for a total energy cost savings of USD 45,000.
• PT. ISM Bogasari Flour Mills Tbk: Bogasari’s integrated flour mills operate with a total annual capacity of around 4.4 million tonnes and serve industrial and retail customers domestically in Indonesia and worldwide. The company saw ISO 50001 as a means of maintaining competitive advantage (in terms of costs and prices) without impacts on the labor force or product quality. During the first three years of energy management system implementation, the company improved its energy performance by 16.6%, and realized energy cost savings of USD 3,671,800. The Jakarta site was Bogasari’s first facility certified to ISO 50001, and they developed standard operating procedures that the company replicated at other Bogasari plants. The company as a whole is integrating stringent controls across all stages of manufacturing to strengthen and decarbonize its supply chain. Through this process, Bogasari transformed its flour mill operations by implementing a digital automation system to integrate its yield and energy management system across its operations—from the jetty port to its flour mill facilities.
• Tyndall National Institute: Energy management and decarbonization are part of the fabric of this European research center, which delivers multidisciplinary energy system research across energy saving, production, and storage technologies, as well as policy, regulation, and business models. A core objective of Tyndall’s research strategy is to develop innovative technologies to help address some of the most pressing sustainability challenges facing society today. All Irish public bodies such as Tyndall are required to improve energy efficiency by 50% (up from 33%). Tyndall buildings date back to the early 1800s, necessitating renovations; implementing an energy management system in accordance with ISO 50001 has ensured that energy efficiency is central to design decisions. For example, the buildings make use of recovered heat (e.g., from the data center and cooling systems), and spaces are designed for maximum light-harvesting. Energy-focused projects at Tyndall have saved 7,591 GJ of energy, translating into cost savings of USD 152,373. Beyond the energy and cost savings, Tyndall’s sustainability credentials have attracted high-quality staff, grant funding, and onsite company tenants.

CEM 2022 Award Recipients

By organization, with participating site locations listed for each.

Award of Excellence in Energy Management

Grupo Libertad
Argentina: Córdoba

PT. ISM Bogasari Flour Mills Tbk
Indonesia (2 sites): Jakarta, Surabaya

Tyndall National Institute
Ireland: Cork

Energy Management Insight Award

Abu Dhabi Sewerage Services Company – ADSSC
United Arab Emirates: Abu Dhabi

ADNOC Gas Processing
United Arab Emirates (7 sites): Abu Dhabi (7)

ADNOC LNG
United Arab Emirates: Abu Dhabi

ADNOC Logistics & Services
United Arab Emirates: Abu Dhabi

ADNOC Offshore
United Arab Emirates (11 sites): Abu Dhabi (11)

ADNOC Onshore
United Arab Emirates: Abu Dhabi

ADNOC Refining
United Arab Emirates (7 sites): Abu Dhabi; Musaffah; Sas Al Nakhl (2); Ruwais (3)

ENOC Corporate Real Estate
United Arab Emirates: Dubai

ENOC Retail LLC
United Arab Emirates (36 sites): Dubai (36)

General Motors do Brazil
Brazil: São Jose dos Campos/São Paulo

Laboratorios Farmacéuticos ROVI S.A.
Spain: Granada

Loreal Argentina S.A.
Argentina: Benavidez

Maynilad Water Services, Inc.
Philippines (10 sites): Manila City; Muntinlupa City (2); Paranaque City; Pasay City (2); Quezon City (4)

NTPC Simhadri
India: Visakhapatnam

NTPC Sipat
India: Bilaspur

PT Kilang Pertamina Internasional Refinery Unit IV Cilacap
Indonesia: Cilacap

PT Pamapersada Nusantara
Indonesia: Sekako

PT Pertamina Hulu Energi West Madura Offshore
Indonesia: Gresik       

Ras Al Khaimah Municipality
United Arab Emirates (10 sites): Ras al Khaimah (10)

Raymond Limited
India: Khadki

Roads & Transport Authority Dubai
United Arab Emirates (9 sites): Dubai (9)

SABIC Polyolefine GmbH
Germany: Gelsenkirchen

Schneider Electric
France: Rueil Malmaison 

Yanbu National Petrochemical Company – YANSAB
Saudi Arabia: Yanbu