Objective and Overview of
Global Superior Energy Performance Partnership

Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan

1

Objective and Overview of
Global Superior Energy Performance Partnership

August 3, 2012

Takashi Kono
Deputy Director for Climate Change
Global Environment Affairs Office
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan
Executive Summary The Global Superior Energy Performance Partnership, or GSEP (comprising sector-by-sector
working groups), was inaugurated as an international initiative for promoting the industrial sector’s energy
conservation and environmental responses under the leadership of the Japanese and U.S. governments in 2010, taking
over achievements of the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate, or APP. At two GSEP meetings
that took place in FY2011, although participants pointed to such challenges as a further expansion of participating
countries in the GSEP and the materialization of specific GSEP measures, the meetings attracted many participants whoshared expectations about progress in GSEP operations. As an organization to realize a bottom-up approach led byJapan, the GSEP is expected to develop its operations, including effective inputs into climate change negotiations, bytaking advantage of government-private cooperation unique to the partnership.

1. Introduction
The Global Environment Affairs Office takes charge ofexternal negotiations on and international cooperationin global environment conservation. In this respect, theoffice leads and manages operations of the Global
Superior Energy Performance Partnership (GSEP), aninternational partnership for improving energy
efficiency. The GSEP is an international framework topromote energy security and global warming measures,
two sides of the same coin, through the development,
diffusion and transfer of energy conservation andenvironmental technologies and through relevant
technical cooperation under the public-privatepartnership. This paper outlines the Global
Environment Affairs Office’s present views about thebackground for the GSEP inauguration, futurechallenges and expectations, and the GSEP’s relations
in U.N. negotiations.
2. Body
2.1. GSEP taking over APP
In July 2005, the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean
Development and Climate (APP) was created torespond to growing energy demand in the Asia-Pacificregion and address environmental pollution, energy
security and the global warming problem. The sevencountries of Japan, Australia, Canada, China, India, theRepublic of Korea and the United States participated in
the APP to promote regional cooperation for thedevelopment, diffusion and transfer of cleaner andmore efficient technologies under the public-private
partnership. Establishing eight task forces on (1)aluminum, (2) cement, (3) coal mining, (4) renewableenergy and distributed generation, (5) buildings andelectric appliances, (6) cleaner fossil energy, (7) power
generation and transmission, and (8) iron/steel, the APP
proceeded with specific cooperation projects.
The APP Policy Implementation Committee at its ninth
meeting in April 2011 agreed to terminate APP
operations for some reasons, including budgetary
constraints at the U.S. Department of State. At the sametime, it was explained that three task forces oniron/steel, cement, and power generation andtransmission would be taken over by the GSEP (aframework that was proposed by Japan and the UnitedStates and approved as an initiative under the Clean
Energy Ministerial (CEM) at the meeting in July 2010).
At its meeting in Paris in September 2010, theExecutive Committee of the International Partnershipfor Energy Efficiency Cooperation (IPEEC) agreed toposition the GSEP under the IPEEC.
In addition, three more working groups were created:the Energy Management Working Group (led by theUnited States), the Combined Heat and Power (CHP)and Efficient District Heating and Cooling (DHC)
Working Group (led by Finland) and the Cool Roofs
and Pavements Working Group (led by the UnitedStates). The GSEP then started its operations officiallywith the six working groups under the CEM andIPEEC.

2Transition from APP to GSEP (Image)
Asia Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate (APP)
Ministerial Meeting (Co-Chair: US + Host Country)
Policy Implementation Committee (Chair: US)

Secretariat :US Department of States《Chair》〈Co-Chair〉

Iron/Steel《Japan》〈India〉

Cement《Japan》〈Canada〉

Power
《US》
〈China〉

Cleaner
Fossil Energy《Australia》<China>Aluminum《Australia》<US>

Renewable
Energy《Canada》<Australia>

Coal Mining《US》<India>Building andElectric Appliances《Korea》<US>

In April 2011, APP formallyconcluded its activity.

Clean Energy Ministerial
Meeting (CEM)
1st Meeting: July, 2010@Washington D.C.
2nd Meeting: April, 2011@Abu Dhabi
3rd Meeting :April, 2012@London

International Partnership forEnergy Efficiency Cooperation(IPEEC)
Other
Multilateral
Schemes

Policy Committee (Chair: US)
Executive Committee (Chair: India)
Secretariat: IPEEC (Paris)Global Superior Energy Performance Partnership (GSEP)
 Sectoral WG : Steel WG, Power WG , Cement WG <Chair: Japan>
 Energy Management WG, Cool Roofs and Pavements WG <Chair: US> CHP and DHC WG <Chair: Finland>

Other
Initiatives

Fig. Transition from APP to GSEP (Image)
While the APP made these achievements, there were
2.2. Specific APP achievements
The Steel Task Force prepared “State-of-the-Art Clean
some indications that for example the APP lacked
Technologies: SOACT,” allowing the partners to sharediscussions on how to finance commercial projects.
64 relevant technologies. The task force also conductedan energy conservation diagnosis for steel plants,
estimating that the seven APP countries have a
2.3. GSEP operations in FY2011 and future
potential to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 130
challenges
million tons per year. It also implemented an energy
In September 2011, the GSEP held the first workshop
conservation and environmental diagnosis for threein the United States. In the workshop, participants
Chinese and as many Indian steel plants, finding that
expressed their expectations on future operations
they could afford to reduce energy consumption byincluding APP task force operations being taken over
30,000 terajoules per year.
by the GSEP. In response, the first sectoral working
group meeting (cement, power and steel working
The Cement Task Force created the “CementTechnologies Booklet,” a collection of best practicesgroups) took place in Tokyo in March 2012.
Participants, including new ones from the European
for energy conservation technologies. It also conductedan energy conservation and environmental diagnosis
Union, shared APP achievements and deepened
discussions on future operation plans and specificfor four Chinese and as many Indian cement plants andthemes to address. Participants numbered about 140 for
made specific proposals on energy efficiency targets
and the potential installation of waste heat power
the first workshop and about 70 for the working groupmeetings, conducting constructive discussions. Thesegeneration systems.
meetings indicated the high expectations placed on
The Power Generation and Transmission Task Forcefuture GSEP operations.
held five peer reviews two years from 2007, with 50 toFuture challenges include the official, stable
100 people participating in each. The task force
estimated that the APP countries could reduce CO2participation by both the public and private sectors ofsuch major countries as China and India, theemissions by 120 million tons per year by diffusing
identification prioritized areas for the GSEP, and theoperational improvements. It also compiled a handbookof good operation and maintenance practices, whichmaterialization of how to mobilize finances.
was actually used for a performance diagnosis for
power plants in China.

32.4.

Future expectations (including relations inU.N. negotiations)

As for U.N. climate change negotiations, the 17th
Conference of Parties to the U.N. Framework
Convention on Climate Change, or COP17, agreed toestablish the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban
Platform for Enhanced Action, agreeing on a path to afuture framework. For the immediate future, the groupis expected to hold brainstorming or workshops
including experts inside and outside the United Nations.
The GSEP, though being an initiative independent fromU.N. negotiations, has the potential to input bestpractices for the development, diffusion and transfer ofenergy conservation and environmental technologies
into such brainstorming or workshops as anorganization to realize the bottom-up approach.
Industrial energy conservation and environmental
response needs in the world have been persistentlyincreasing. According to the International Energy
Agency, the industrial sector accounted for 36% of

global energy consumption in 2009, the largest shareamong sectors1. In addition, as long-term CO2 emission
reduction measures “energy conservation” is expectedto account for 72% in 2020 and for 44% in 20352.
According to an assessment reported by the AsianDevelopment Bank, the ADB limited investment to $10
million per year in the industrial sector’s energy
conservation while investing nearly $550 million peryear in renewable energy under clean energy projects
between 2006 and 2010 3 . Given this situation, theGSEP is required to creatively discuss the industrial
sector’s global energy conservation and CO2 emission
reduction measures including finance.
The GSEP is expected to develop its operations while
accumulating specific successful practices as aninitiative to lead the materialization of thepublic-private partnership. The Global Environment
Affairs Office is determined to strive to promote theGSEP toward the development, diffusion and transferofenergy
conservation
andenvironmentaltechnologies.

1

IEA Energy Balances of Non-OECD Countries, 2011
IEA World Energy Outlook, 2011
3
Review of Energy Efficiency Interventions,
Independent Evaluation Department, AsianDevelopment Bank, October 20112