Clean Energy Ministerial focuses on ISO 50001

At the seventh Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM7) held this week in San Francisco, USA, world energy leaders announced ambitious actions to accelerate the global transition to clean energy. These actions include efforts to address energy efficiency using ISO 50001 on energy management systems. This year’s participants comprise energy ministers, global business leaders, entrepreneurs, experts from laboratories and academia, and leaders from civil society organizations to discuss barriers to progress and identify potential solutions to energy challenges.

CEM7 also recognized the winners of the 2016 CEM Award of Excellence in Energy Management, an international competition that rewards companies successfully using ISO 50001. The Award is an initiative of the Energy Management Working Group (EMWG) at the Clean Energy Ministerial, which seeks to accelerate broad use of ISO 50001 in industry and commercial buildings.

The results of the Award Programme underscore the strong climate and business benefits of investing in energy efficiency. Participating companies reported annual energy cost savings of up to USD 13.5 million and annual greenhouse gas emission reductions of up to 238 000 tonnes of CO2, equivalent to taking 51 000 passenger vehicles off the road per year.

To get a better idea, we spoke with Graziella Siciliano, Coordinator of the EMWG at the Clean Energy Ministerial. Here, she shares the efforts being made to accelerate broad use of ISO 50001 and the benefits of its wide adoption around the world.

The winners of the CEM Energy Management Leadership Award Programme were recognized at CEM7. What can you tell us about them?

Energy management systems that meet the global ISO 50001 standard are delivering energy, economic and sustainability benefits to businesses, communities and the world. We salute all of the industrial and commercial facilities that entered this competition. Collectively, they are building a resource to help facilities of all types and sizes understand this cost-effective approach to improve energy performance and reduce carbon emissions.

The Award of Excellence in Energy Management recognizes not only savings but also organizations’ efforts to transform the way they are using energy. This year’s top winners include:

  • Cummins, Inc. With nine ISO 50001-certified sites across India, the UK and the USA, Cummins designs, manufactures, sells and services diesel engines and related technology around the world. Establishing an energy management system through a corporate enterprise approach has helped the company exceed savings goals in cost, energy and carbon emissions.
  • LG Chem Ltd., Ochang Plant. LG Chem is the biggest manufacturer of large-sized polarizers in the world market and makes many kinds of batteries, including lithium-ion batteries. LG Chem’s Ochang plant is certified to ISO 50001, helping the company meet domestic and international energy and greenhouse gas targets, including the Korean government’s goal to reduce national carbon emissions by 30 % by 2020.
  • New Gold Inc., New Afton Mine. New Afton is the first mine in North America to implement ISO 50001. With lower gold and copper prices over the past few years, improved energy performance is one of the few areas that can improve profitability. ISO 50001 also aligns well with energy and greenhouse gas emissions protocols, allowing the mine to focus on ISO 50001 as a means to comply with several programmes at the same time.