OAK RIDGE, Tenn., April 28, 1995 -- ORNL is playing a central role in a new U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) mission to encourage energy cooperation and trade with developing nations. Dr. Thomas J. Wilbanks, corporate research fellow and manager of the Developing Countries program at ORNL, has accompanied Secretary of Energy Hazel O'Leary to India twice during the past nine months. In addition, Dr. Milton Russell, a collaborating scientist at ORNL and University of Tennessee and director of the Joint Institute for Energy and Environment (JIEE), accompanied O'Leary on her trip to China in February 1995. "The focus of these trips is on promoting business deals in energy for sustainable development," Wilbanks said. Since these trips, business deals and other agreements have been signed that have a value of over $15 billion. "This ORNL leadership role developed from a commitment in 1982 to become involved in meeting the energy and environmental needs of developing nations," Wilbanks said. "Since then, the laboratory's program has worked in more than 30 countries in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Middle East." "DOE's initiatives have led to an enormous increase in private sector interaction between the United States and India, the world's two largest democracies," Wilbanks said. "We are working to build an enduring partnership between our two countries that is good for sustainable development both here and there."
