Tokyo, May 13, 2016 – Rakuten, Inc. and the Energy Demand Side Service Development Cooperative today announced that the two entities have reached a mutual agreement to look into a business partnership.
The establishment of the Energy Demand Side Service Development Cooperative was approved on April 15, 2016 with the purpose of building an energy retailing platform mainly for small- and medium-sized LPG operators. More specifically, it will mediate the agency agreements of its LPG retailer members nationwide and retail electricity suppliers, and support the sale of LPG and electricity as a set. Under this business partnership between Rakuten and the Energy Demand Development Cooperative, the two entities will jointly consider initiatives such as (1) awarding Rakuten Super Points for electricity bills when electricity and LPG are sold as a set; and (2) obtaining and analyzing energy data utilizing the energy gateway developed by the Energy Demand Side Service Development Cooperative.
Since Rakuten set up Cle-R Energy Co., Ltd. as a joint venture with CLEX Co., Ltd. in January 2016, and in light of the full liberalization of the city gas market in 2017, it has been exploring the creation a service platform that is focused on the LPG industry, which is a fully liberalized market accounting for 44% of Japan’s gas users and contains more than 20,000 operators*1.
Rakuten has pursued the principle of empowering people and society through the Internet since its founding in 1997, and has engaged in revitalizing regional economies and developing regional communities by supporting local companies and business owners. By utilizing the Rakuten Ecosystem to contribute to the creation of an energy retailing platform for LPG operators through this partnership with the Energy Demand Side Service Development LLP, Rakuten will help to further develop the energy industry and revitalize local economies in the future.
Overview of the Energy Demand Side Service Development Cooperative
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Name |
Energy Demand Side Service Development Cooperative |
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Date of approval of establishment |
April 15, 2016 (Kanto Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry Recognition No. 2414) |
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Date registered |
April 20, 2016 |
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Business lines |
(1) Support electricity sales promotions for its members (2) Guarantee debts on retained receivables relating to its members’ electricity sales promotions (3) Enhance and improve management and technologies relevant to its members’ businesses, and provide training and information aimed at disseminating knowledge about the cooperative’s businesses (4) Business that relates to the members’ welfare program (5) Business that is incidental to each of the above businesses |
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Location |
Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo |
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Director |
Tsutomu Shirakawa (Representative Director and President, Cle-R Energy Co., Ltd.) |
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URL |
Related press release (Japanese only):
Rakuten Invests in Retail Electricity Business Cle-R Energy
https://corp.rakuten.co.jp/news/press/2015/1217_02.html
*1 Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry: “Number of retail operators and safety agencies nationwide as of fiscal 2014 (end of March 2015)”
http://www.meti.go.jp/policy/safety_security/industrial_safety/sangyo/lpgas/files/jigyosya27.pdf