Sojitz Building Materials Corporation signed a services outsourcing agreement with ENERES Co., Ltd. to increase sales of power purchased from solar power generation operators.

ENERES, an electric power information business company, provides various services centered on its electric power supply and demand management expertise and seeks to increase the efficient use of electric power. ENERES purchases electric power from renewable energy power generation operators at a price that adds a premium to the feed-in tariff (FIT)¹ and sells of the power to power producers and suppliers (PPS) ².

Sojitz Building Materials, a specialized trading company that supplies building materials to domestic general contractors, house builders, and building material wholesalers, and has an extensive nationwide network for selling building materials, residential equipment, solar power panels, and other goods.

Under the agreement, Sojitz Building Materials will use its expansive customer network to introduce solar power generation operators to ENERES, and ENERES will purchase electric power from those operators. Through this arrangement, Sojitz Building Materials seeks to gain new opportunities to sell building materials. It will also contribute to the use of renewable energy in the lead up to the complete liberalization of electric power retail sales in Japan in 2016.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Business Scheme

1. A feed-in tariff (FIT) is a system that requires electric power operators　to purchase electricity generated using renewable energy (including solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, and biomass power) at fixed prices. The fixed prices were specified and became effective on July 1, 2012.

2. A power producer and supplier (PPS) is a specified-scale electric power operator that supplies electric power to power users with contracted power consumption of at least 50 kW through the distribution networks of general electric companies.

Profile of Sojitz Building Materials Corporation

Company name	Sojitz Building Materials Corporation
Representative	Masahiko Takeshita, President & CEO
Head office	21st floor, Tokyo Sankei Building, 7-2 Otemachi 1-chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0004, Japan
Established	April 1982
Capitalization	1,039 million yen
Sales	158,500 million yen (FY ended March 2013)
Business activities	Specialized trading company that supplies the full range of building materials to domestic general contractors, house builders, and building material wholesalers.
Website	http://www.sojitz-bm.com/

Profile of ENERES Co., Ltd.

Company name	ENERES Co.,Ltd.
Representative	Motohide Ikeda, President  & CEO
Head office	Art Center of Tokyo, 4-1 Senju 1-chome, Adachi-ku, Tokyo 120-0034, Japan
Established	December 2004
Capitalization	782 million yen
Sales	10,177 million yen (FY ended December 2013)
Business activities	Consulting services, system planning and construction, electric power purchasing consulting, brokering, and agency services for electric power operators
Website	http://www.eneres.co.jp/index.html