Winners of 2023 Global Energy Management Leadership Awards Announced

The Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) is pleased to announce the winners of its Energy Management Leadership Awards for 2023. These awards recognize organizations that have implemented energy management systems to achieve energy, economic, and sustainability benefits. Two organizations have attained the program’s top honor, the prestigious Award of Excellence in Energy Management:

Coop Danmark A/S, Denmark
PT Semen Tonasa, Indonesia

Another 15 organizations (listed below) have earned the distinguished Energy Management Insight Award.

On 21 July 2023, the CEM formally recognized Coop Danmark and PT Semen Tonasa at the joint convening of the fourteenth Clean Energy Ministerial and the eighth Mission Innovation Ministerial (CEM14/MI-8). Energy management, which saves energy and reduces emissions, is fundamental to the vision of a low- or no-carbon future. Therefore, the 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. CEM14/MI-8 occurred on July 19–22, 2023, in Goa, India on the margins of the G20 Energy Transitions Ministerial Meeting.

“CEM applauds all the Energy Management Leadership Awardees,” said Prasoon Agarwal, Acting Head of the CEM Secretariat. “This awards program was put in place to recognize leading organizations for their innovations in energy management, attaining impressive reductions in their energy use and associated emissions. The 2023 award winners are forward-thinking energy efficiency leaders in their respective industries, who provide real-world case studies of energy management systems, showcasing the clear business case for investing in energy efficiency. On behalf of CEM and all its stakeholders, I congratulate the awardees, and also acknowledge their efforts towards our shared sustainable future.”

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 via a third-party audit by an accredited certification body. The ISO 50001 standard provides a framework that integrates energy management into business operations and policies with the support of top management. ISO 50001 also empowers energy team members to systematically track and analyze energy data, detect and act upon improvement opportunities, and use the data to inform decision-making. 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 2023 Selection Committee), who determine the winners.

Case studies by the 2023 award winners are available on the CEM website. A summary booklet that highlights the achievements of each awardee is also available. The CEM website also provides biographies of the ISO 50001 experts who evaluated the entries on the 2023 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 2023 awardees, 14 are in the industrial sector and 3 in the public sector. Collectively, the 17 winners in 2023 (representing 872 facilities in 13 countries and regions) reported annual energy cost savings of over $325 million and annual emissions reductions of over 4.4 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. The CO₂ reductions are the equivalent of taking roughly 1 million passenger vehicles off the road—or the amount of carbon sequestered by 5 million acres of forest land in one year.

“When it comes to decarbonization, there is ultimately no boundary between the public and private sectors, just as there is no boundary to contain climate impacts to one nation or region,” said Tareq Emtairah, Director of the Decarbonization and Sustainable Energy Division of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). “The 2023 Energy Management Leadership Awardees recognize that businesses can mitigate their energy consumption and impact, and they have stepped up to play leading roles in addressing that shared challenge. In doing so, these organizations are demonstrating that energy management is not only an effective sustainability strategy but also a sound business practice. Benefits range from reduced energy costs to improved product quality to better working conditions that enhance productivity. And attaining these benefits doesn’t always require expensive projects or next-generation technologies. Small changes to optimize processes can have big impacts.

“Many thanks to the awardees—both past and present—for highlighting the significant role that energy efficiency can and must play in the energy transition.”

The 2023 program’s top honor, the Award of Excellence in Energy Management, is bestowed on two organizations:

Coop Danmark A/S: Coop Danmark is one of Denmark’s leading retail companies, with 1,000 stores and 40,000 employees. It has a goal to lead the national retail industry in sustainability, as well as size and revenue. To that end, Coop has developed a climate action plan and had it approved by the international Science-Based Targets initiative to ensure alignment with Paris Agreement goals. The climate plan aims to reduce Coop’s CO₂ emissions from its own operations by 91% in 2030, requiring a 17% reduction in total energy consumption. This ambitious target necessitates energy optimization, which led the company to introduce ISO 50001 for systematic energy improvements in 2016. Coop established both a climate department and an energy department, and the energy management system is structured to work as one unit across all store chains and functions. The company has rolled out multiple company-wide energy management projects, e.g., replacing 200,000 traditional light bulbs with LEDs; updating heating, ventilation, and cooling strategies; limiting the number and use of energy-consuming devices; and using Coop communication vehicles to involve all 40,000 employees in energy management. The company has also installed solar cells and electric vehicle charging stations to minimize its fossil fuel consumption. Since the 2016 launch, Coop has reduced energy costs by $29 million (USD) and energy consumption by 24%, equivalent to 42,000 metric tons of CO₂ emissions. View video.
PT Semen Tonasa: Indonesia-based cement producer PT Semen Tonasa has reduced energy use, lowered costs, and created added value by implementing an ISO 50001 energy management system. Tonasa uses established strategies such as setting up an energy management team, energy use measurement processes, and comprehensive training. Advanced approaches include developing a roadmap for implementation and adopting digital tools (e.g., automated diagnostics) to improve energy efficiency. Tonasa is overseen by PT Semen Indonesia (Persero) Tbk “SIG,” its holding company. SIG is a leading multinational building material solutions provider and the largest cement producer in Indonesia, and it currently implements broad strategic initiatives to address climate issues, following the SIG Sustainability Roadmap. Tonasa’s ISO 50001 initiatives are strengthening its own commitment to address environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. Plant management has amplified the impact by involving suppliers in the company’s energy transition from coal to biomass, creating supply chains that reduce carbon intensity. These and other sustainability efforts have led to an 18.5% improvement in energy performance over four years, saving over $16 million (USD) in energy costs with an equivalent of 435,864 metric tons of CO₂ emissions reduction. Furthermore, the Indonesian government rewarded Tonasa with the 2021 INDI 4.0 award, along with five prizes and other green certifications. View video.

CEM 2023 Award Recipients

By organization, with participating site locations listed for each.

Award of Excellence in Energy Management

Coop Danmark A/S
Denmark: Albertslund (headquarters), with 792 sites certified to ISO 50001 throughout Denmark

PT Semen Tonasa
Indonesia: Pangkajene, South Sulawesi

Energy Management Insight Award

Abu Dhabi City Municipality
United Arab Emirates: Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi Polymers Company (Borouge)
United Arab Emirates: Abu Dhabi

Aditya Aluminium (A Unit of Hindalco industries Ltd)
India: Lapanga

Al Ain Cement Factory – Emirates Steel Arkan Group
United Arab Emirates: Al Ain

Al Nakheel Hygenic Paper Manufacturing
United Arab Emirates: Abu Dhabi

Crown Paper Mill LLC
United Arab Emirates: Abu Dhabi

Cummins Inc.
Brazil: Guarulhos
China (11 sites): Beijing; Chongqing; Dong Feng; Guangxi; Hubei; Shanghai; Wuhan (2); Wuxi (3)
France: Quimper
Germany: Marktheidenfeld
India (9 sites): Dewas; Kothrud (2); Phaltan (4); IndoPithampur; Telco Township
Mexico (3 sites): Juarez; San Luis Potosi (2)
United Kingdom (3 sites): Darlington; Daventry; Huddersfield
United States of America (16 sites): Charleston, SC (2); Clovis, NM; Columbus, IN (6); Cookeville, TN; Fridley, MN; Lakewood, NY; Mineral Point, WI; Neillsville, WI, Stoughton, WI; Whitakers, NC

Curtiembre Arlei S.A.
Argentina: Las Toscas, Santa Fe

Government of Ras Al Khaimah
United Arab Emirates (19 sites): Ras Al Khaimah (19)

HARBEC, Inc.
United States of America: Ontario, NY

PT Angkasa Pura I – I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport
Indonesia: Badung, Bali

PT PLN Nusantara Power Muara Karang
Indonesia: North Jakarta, Jakarta

Saudi Aramco – Safaniya Offshore Producing Department (SOfPD)
Saudi Arabia (3 sites): Safaniya (3)

Saudi Aramco – Uthmaniyah Gas Plant Department
Saudi Arabia: Udhaliyah

YPF S.A.
Argentina: Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza