The fonds contains records created and received between 1958 and 2013 beginning from the Public Utilities Department and several successors through the Sustainable Energy Department (SEG). Records document the energy units' functional responsibilities including support to operational projects carried out by regional units, formulation of policy, preparation of research studies and publications, organization and participation in knowledge and learning events, liaison with external partners, and program collaboration across the energy sector. A large portion of records reflect the department's function as administrators of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)/World Bank Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) established in 1983 and ESMAP's precursor technical assistance program, the Energy Assessment Program (EAP) created in 1980 in response to the global energy crises of the 1970s.

While sector records were maintained in the Bank-wide centralized filing system from the early years of operations until mid-1987 and some of these records remain part of the Central Files fonds, departments often kept separate working files. It is primarily the working files of the energy sector that comprise the records in this fonds, along with records created after 1987 when recordkeeping responsibilities were turned over to the records-creating offices. See the arrangement note below for more information about the centralized files. The sector's rapid rate of growth and frequent organizational changes between the late 1970s until the mid-2000s are reflected in the various record-creating units in this fonds, their changes in names and reporting structure, and different filing systems. Primary sector functions however, as mentioned above, remained consistent over time.

The earliest records in the fonds, dating from 1958 to the late 1960s, are externally produced maps and reports that were used as reference for projects. The fonds also contains earlier records maintained by Assistant Director Efrain Friedmann that represent the department's energy sector work in the 1970s and cover discussion of nuclear power and energy conservation. Records are, however, predominantly from between 1980 and 2002.

Records in the fonds cover a broad range of subsectors and topics under energy development, including: electric power; fuel sources and technologies and hydrocarbons, such as coal, oil, natural gas; renewable and non-conventional energy sources, such as photovoltaic cells, solar power, hydropower, wind power, thermal power, and biomass; environmental issues and assessments; climate change; power systems and energy efficiency; gas trading; electricity supply and grid extension; rural electrification; power sector rehabilitation and institutional restructuring of power utilities; legislation and market forces; and competition and regulatory policy.

Mining sector records are also represented in the fonds, to a lesser extent. Although mining was originally situated within the industry sector in the Bank's organizational structure, the mining and oil and gas units coexisted under the same departments from 1982 until their merger into the Oil, Gas, Mining Division, Sustainable Energy Department (SEGOM) in 2010. Records related to the mining sector primarily cover the period from the 1990s to 2013, although there is some earlier material dating from the early 1980s. See the arrangement note for more information.

The series contains chronological records created by the Industry and Energy Department (IEN) and its subordinate units and predecessors, including those forwarded to the IISC.

Many of the files maintained in the IISC are thin, some containing a single piece of correspondence. The IISC presumably implemented a file classification system that organized files by the creator unit code indicated on the physical folders. Files were subsequently titled by country, subject, or less frequently, general. Countryfiles are secondarily labeled as subsector (energy, power, gas, oil, etc.), by project title and loan or credit number, or general. The unit codes identify the correspondence as sent and received by the following: IEN DR (Office of the Director), IEN ED (Energy Development Division), IEN EP (Energy Policy and Strategy Division), IEN OG (Oil and Gas Division). The chronological files also include correspondence regarding the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) when the program was carried out by IEN divisions in the 1980s and when ESMAP operated independently from IEN between 1991 and 1992. ESMAP-related files are organized within the folders of the responsible IEN units designated by the above-mentioned unit code.

There is also a set of IEN general chronological files (1987, 1992 - 1996, predominant 1994 - 1995) that includes correspondence of various IEN units and their activities including Industry and Mining (IENIM), Telecommunications and Informatics (IENTI), and others. This set is organized chronologically by year.

Correspondence consists of outgoing internal memoranda, letters, hard copies of All-in-1 messages, facsimiles, telexes, and attachments. Much of the correspondence is between division staff, and with regional technical units. Other letters, facsimiles, or telexes are addressed to consultants, United Nations agency officials, and other development partners involved in projects or other collaborative activities.

A large portion of the files relate to ESMAP activities carried out by IEN departments, including assessment missions, project reconnaissance and identification missions, pre-investment studies and ESMAP program liaison with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). UNDP files are physically labeled with the alphanumeric project numbers. UNDP files consist of correspondence with the UNDP Division for Global and Interregional Projects, UNDP resident representative, or Bank regional staff related to ESMAP country assessment mission staffing and arrangements including with consultants, bilateral donor trust fund contributions, funding of assessments, comments on reports, knowledge and learning activities, project issues, and project meeting summaries also involving regional staff. Specific topics include household energy, fuelwood pre-investment studies, Arun Hydroelectric Project, coal conversion, coal energy efficiency and specifically in the tobacco and tea industries, energy efficiency and pollution control, national sector power development, natural gas development and import, energy planning and management, and others.

There are also files related to: Bank lending projects including energy efficiency and conservation; gas flaring reduction; gas pipelines and urban transport; environmental management; Bank and IEN reorganizations; work program; budget; special grants and donors; conferences and workshops; dissemination and training; policies and procedures of energy units and products; and local committee files which relate to sector board minutes and correspondence and other IEN committees and working groups. Notable individual files relate to the 1993 Oil and Gas Division, Industry and Energy Department (IENOG) reorganization, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Overseas Development Institute (ODI), and national development agencies.

The record types occasionally filed with the correspondence include: back-to-office reports; mission and consultant Terms of Reference (TORs); ESMAP Activity Initiation Briefs (AIBs) authored by energy sector units; ESMAP final draft (yellow cover) review reports; ESMAP conference reports; conference or training seminar agenda; draft and final aide-memoires detailing summary of issues and recommendations; post-mission issues papers; project status reports; revised and final budget sheets; proposals; and Bank technical reports.

The series also contains incoming and outgoing correspondence (1987 - 1990), mainly telexes and facsimiles, that were predominantly created and received by the Energy Efficiency and Strategy Unit (IENEE), Household Efficiency Unit (IENHE), and successor units including Energy Department (EGY) units. These records largely reflect ESMAP activities and include correspondence with government ministries, bilateral and multilateral donors, Bank resident offices, and UNDP officials regarding matters such as: ESMAP projects; notification of submission of studies or reports; notification and status of assessment missions and follow up plan; status of UNDP-financed projects and UNDP contributions to energy assessments; financial contributions from donors; donor representatives participation in workshops; status requests from consultancy agencies; meeting arrangements; and routine administrative matters.

Series consists of records created and received by the Energy Department units, successors, and consultants in conducting research and analysis in support of operations projects, programs, initiatives, and sector topics. The results of research involving technical, economic, and environmental issues within the energy sector were often disseminated and published in the form of departmental working papers or ESMAP Papers.

Record types include: back-to-office reports (including copies of regional unit BTORs); Terms of Reference (TORs); ESMAP reports; proposals; staff appraisal reports; project completion reports (PCRs); consultant reports; statistical data tables and worksheets; background papers; handwritten notes; United Nations project documents; and external guidelines, reports, brochures, press clippings, and articles.

Research papers and studies

The largest volume of records in the series (1985 - 1992) are those concerning research related to the Electric Power Utility Efficiency Study (EPUES). EPUES was a research study funded by bilateral donors, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the Bank that was organized in January 1989 to investigate the causes of poor power plant performance in developing countries, to measure related economic and financial costs, and prepare programs and guidelines to improve performance. As the executing agency on behalf of the Bank, records were created and received by Industry and Energy (IEN) unit staff including Energy Development Division (IENED) while managing the study and consultants. Records document the preparation of the study, development of guidelines, multilateral and research collaboration, and communication with donor agencies. There are also records concerning the EPUES Steering Committee such as draft and final minutes, and reports or summaries of UNDP and EPUES missions. The topicsexamined included power system efficiency, power transmission and distribution, power sector rehabilitation, power sector lending, and environmental and efficiency measures for diesel electric power plants. Several files relate to Somalia and general regions of Africa and Latin America.

Another set of records primarily maintained by Shigeru Kubota (Industry and Energy Division, EMTIE), relate to rural development, oil and gas, and energy situation in the Soviet Union and post-Soviet Russia (1991 - 1993).Several of the press clippings, articles, and reports are in Japanese language.

Two files relate to the research fellow program (1990 - 1991) that was launched by the Bank in 1989 to draw development research scholars into research activities. The file contains internal memoranda regarding nominations with curriculum vitae (CV)s, outline of proposed IEN study, and external reference material.

Reference material

Series also contains assorted reference materials maintained by the Natural Gas Development Unit, Industry and Energy Department (IENGU) and its successor, Oil and Gas Division (IENOG) concerning various oil and gas topics and information about Bank energy activities (1987 - 1993). There are several files of press clippings and articles from various international newspapers about the "new" natural gas unit (1989) and the petroleum industry. A portion of files also contain internal and external study papers, Policy Planning Review technical papers, memoranda regarding publication of papers andpeer review, and other items.

Another set of miscellaneous files (1990 - 1995) include worksheets, externally printed material of international oil companies, brochures, World Energy Council 15th Congress technical session bound reports, handwritten notes, and presentation slides of external presenters at the 1994 World Bank energy efficiency roundtable.

NRIC and EISIC correspondence and related records

A small portion of records originally maintained in the Non-Regional Information Center (NRIC) dated 1977 to 1984 are mostly comprised of internal memoranda between EGY assistant directors, division chiefs, advisers, and regional units. Topics include comments on EGY research proposals, internal EGY discussions on proposals, planning and preparation of studies, and research grants. Other records occasionally filed with the correspondence include study TORs and reports. Two of these files relate to a thermal generation study (1980).

Three files maintained in the Energy and Industry Information Center (EISIC) include mostly copies of memoranda between EGY director, division chiefs, and Central Projects Staff Vice Presidency discussing sector research priorities, the Bank's research program, quarterly progress report IDP policy and research functions, research activities on industry and trade, and Research Committee activities (1975 - 1986).

Series consists of records related to conferences, symposia, seminars, workshops, roundtables, and similar knowledge and learning events that were developed and hosted by Industry and Energy Department (IEN) energy units or attended by sector directors and staff. A portion of files also relate to sector staff's participation in preparatory work for events such as conference steering committees and the vetting of papers submitted. The series also contains newsletters as well as published and unpublished articles and reports authored or co-authored by sector staff. The earliest records dated 1984 are copies of externally authored discussion and presentation papers. Records were created and maintained by various units such as: Industry and Energy Office of the Director (IENDR), Natural Gas Development Unit (IENGU), Power Development, Efficiency & Household Fuels Division (IENPD), and ESMAP Operations Division (ESMOD).

Conferences, seminars, and similar events that were organized as Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) technical assistance or relating to other ESMAP projects are not included in this series if there was a clear distinction. See the related units of description note below for more information.

Conferences, seminars, other knowledge and learning events

Records reflect IEN Director Richard Stern's attendance and or participation including as a panel member at various international conferences and symposia such as the World Energy Council Congress (1995) and World Economic Development Congress Power Project Finance Summit. Stern also maintained records of World Bank seminars conducted by his division chiefs and staff as reference (Seminar on Technical and Economic Nuclear Issues, 1994). There is also a small volume of files containing papers presented by IENDR Adviser Dennis Anderson on the Bank's solar initiative experience to date at the International Symposium on the Grand Solar Challenge (1995) with other event records. Also included are a draft and three computer disks relatedto Anderson's paper "Energy, Environment and Economy". Knowledge and learning event records were largely maintained by IEN divisions. The whole of the records of IENDR and divisions cover the period 1988 to 1998.

Records consist of facsimiles and letters sent to participants or organizers covering invitations to the event and preparation of the agenda, and internal memoranda between IENDR, division management, and staff discussing the organization of speakers, selection of panels and topics, administrative arrangements, and follow-up to various events. Memoranda are often in the form of Terms of Reference (TORs), back-to-office-reports, and summaries of discussions, together with an attached event program, drafts and final agenda, presentation slide hard copies, or the paper presented at the event, some of which are externally authored papers. Additional record types in the series include: conference session papers; lists of participants and speakers; program and presentation outlines and notes; papers prepared by sector staff or consultants; working papers and reports produced by participants or external authors; transparency slides; biographical sketches of presenters; and press clippings or articles.

Specific topics represented in the knowledge and learning events include, but are not limited to: seminars concerning power sector regulatory issues; structure and pricing; energy policy; power system planning; natural gas; electricity and gas trade; financing energy; roundtables on energy efficiency; independent power projects; or power supply in low- and lower-middle income countries; International Gas Trade Roundtable; and workshops on renewable energy; oil and gas; commercialization of natural gas; and annual World Bank Energy Workshops.

There are also individual files regarding Bank Group and International Monetary Fund Annual Meetings (1994 - 1996), IEN road shows and products (1992 - 1994), Task Managers' Workshop on Global Environment Facility Global Warming Projects sponsored by Global Environment Coordination Division (ENVCG) and partners, Mining and the Community for Asian and Pacific Nations (1998), China Coal Sector Development and Reform Conference World Bank and ESMAP (2003), and various other events.

Speeches, newsletters, publications, and other material

The series contains speeches of the first IEN Director, Anthony Churchill, given at various external conferences and events (1990 - 1993) and speeches on the topic of energy and the environment given at conferences and similar events by Churchill and others including Bank Group President Barber B. Conable and Energy Strategy, Management, and Assessment (IENES) Division Chief Robert J. Saunders at the ESMAP consultative meeting, 1988. A single file containing material for speeches on gas mostly contains papers authored by IENGU chief and draft papers used for the 1992 World Development Report (WDR) related to natural gas benefits to the environment, gas activities of ESMAP, and letters to external peers requesting review and comments.

Series also consists of two files of publications and computer disks maintained by Anderson on various energy and environment topics that he mostly authored and co-authored (1988 - 1996). Files contain an item list of papers, final drafts, final papers published in academic journals and at conferences, and a draft for the new Finance and Private Sector Development Vice Presidency (FPD) series on "Approaches to Private Power". Publication topics include: cost effectiveness in addressing the CO2 problem; cost of nuclear power and fossil fuels; sustainable development; energy efficiency and pollution; industry and the environment; and more. The files also contain some papers by other colleagues including "Transportation and CO2 Emissions: Flexing the Link - A Strategy for the World Bank".

There are also two files containing internally produced newsletters (1994 - 1996), including Oil and Gas, Energy Notes, FPD Notes about the activities of Finance and Private Sector Development Vice Presidency, internal memoranda about the publications, and external press articles about the Bank sectors.

Three training-related files relate to Monitoring Training Program and IEN Support Staff Workshop (1993 - 1995) as well as IENGU gas training (1989 - 1990).