[9 December 2008]
Energy Management Institute and the International Trading Institute at Singapore Management University Announce Energy Training Partnership

New York, December 9, 2008: Energy Management Institute (EMI) and the International Trading Institute at Singapore Management University (ITI@SMU) announced today its partnership to develop and deliver energy and commodity-related education and training events in Singapore. This marks the first time EMI is collaborating with a university in the Asia-Pacific region to provide executive education for executives and professionals involved in the energy and commodity sectors.

Beginning in February 2009, EMI and ITI will jointly offer a unique set of seminars for individuals and for large financial and commodity institutions. These seminars – conducted at SMU and open to professionals and executives in the Asia-Pacific region - will be focused on the Asia Pacific market as well as the worldwide energy markets. Delivered by a team of industry professionals from various global markets, the training will be based on the established ‘Oil Industry Competency Path' developed by EMI to provide professionals and executives in the industry with a progressive continuing education experience.

“Energy Management Institute is an excellent partner to work with ITI@SMU in producing and delivering our energy and commodity trading programs,” said Associate Professor Annie Koh, Academic Director of ITI@SMU and Dean of Executive and Professional Education at SMU. “As one of the top international energy training providers, EMI's expertise in both education and the actual workings of the energy industry will be invaluable to ITI@SMU as we develop our energy training programs to reach out to professionals in the Asia-Pacific region.”

The goal of the EMI and ITI@SMU joint collaboration is to teach basic and advanced topics on the energy industry as well as provide instruction on trading and trading risk management. Participants will receive certificates upon completion of each seminar or module. Registration will be open from December 2008 at www.smu.edu.sg/centres/iti.

“EMI is excited to be tapped as the International Trading Institute's energy training partner,” said Dominick A. Chirichella, Senior Partner at EMI. “ITI@SMU is a leading-edge research centre providing commodity trading education and consultancy, and together with our own wealth of energy industry expertise and training development, we look forward to bringing innovative energy trading programs to the vibrant Singapore trading community.”

About the International Trading Institute at Singapore Management University

The International Trading Institute (“ITI”) is a tripartite collaboration between SMU, International Enterprise (IE) Singapore and leading industry partners. ITI aims to springboard Singapore's leadership in the arena of international trading. It is the first in the world to be set up within a university with a specialist focus on international trading and supported by a unique public-private partnership. The objectives of the ITI are to deliver training and education at the undergraduate as well as professional and executive levels, to conduct and disseminate high quality applied academic research, to provide consultancy services and undertake regional consulting projects for trading firms as well as to organise forums and discussion groups to understand the needs and challenges of the industry.

About Energy Management Institute

New York-based EMI (www.energyinstitution.org) provides specialized education services to major oil companies, utilities, Fortune 500 end-users and top transportation fleets throughout the world. EMI's fully-accredited education programs focus on intensive purchasing, risk management, and trading curricula from basic to advanced levels. As a division of Advanced Energy Commerce, Inc., it also provides critical business information services and thought leadership in the energy segments of oil, alternative fuels, gas, and power. Additionally EMI uses its market expertise to publish a number of leading industry reports with benchmark pricing and news: Alternative Fuels Index, The Daily Hedger, Future Rack, Biofuel Age, BTU's Daily Gas Wire, BTU's Daily Power Report and BTU's Natural Gas and Power Weekly.