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).