Ron Somers
Encyclopedia
Ron Somers, an American
businessman, is President of the U.S.-India Business Council. He played a lead role in coordinating the passage of the Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement and is widely regarded as a prominent figure in U.S.-India relations
.
University, and an Honors B.A. from Middlebury College
in Vermont. A distinguished high school scholar/athlete, Somers graduated with academic honors in 1972 from Oxford Hills High School, Norway, Maine.
He is fluent in Hindi
.
After graduating from Middlebury College, Somers worked as a roughneck on the oil rigs of Midland, Texas
, where he came to know future President of the United States George W. Bush
. The young Bush helped Somers to get his first real career break as a Landman (oil worker)
. He soon moved to California, where he supported in 1981 the development of the first privately-owned, commercial-sized run-of-river hydroelectric project in the western United States - the Bailey Creek Ranch Project, followed by the Montgomery Creek Hydroelectric Project - both of which are considered 'model' environmental projects even today. Ron maintains a 33% stake in Montgomery Creek Associates, a private limited partnership that has independently owned and operated clean, renewable energy
assets in the western United States since 1985. After serving as Chairman of the Small Power Producers' Association of California, Somers was recruited by the U.S. Agency for International Development to live in India as Resident Adviser from 1992 onwards to supervise the India Private Power Initiative, supporting India's Union Ministry of Power to attract private investment into India's power sector. During this period, Ron traveled extensively to most Indian states, becoming an expert on India's emerging energy sector. With the support of U.S. Ambassador Frank G. Wisner, this specialized knowledge of India enabled Ron to brief U.S. Energy Secretary Hazel R. O'Leary and Commerce Secretary Ron Brown when these U.S. Cabinet officials made their historic, maiden visits to India.
The U.S. based, international energy development company, Cogentrix Energy, hired Ron in 1994 to pioneer the development of the $1 billion, 1000 MW Mangalore Thermal Power Project in Karnataka, India. Thereafter, Ron was hired in 1999 as Unocal Corporation
's Country Head in India. In this capacity he was responsible for securing potential customers and forming strategic alliances in India for the proposed Bangladesh to India Natural Gas Pipeline. Concurrently, Ron was extremely active in India’s upstream oil & gas industry through Unocal’s 26% shareholding in Hindustan Oil Exploration Company. During Ron’s tenure, Unocal in India partnered with reputable business houses and esteemed public sector enterprises to develop the proposed 3 million ton Ennore LNG Import Terminal in Tamil Nadu, the 350 MW gas-fired Gautami Power Project in Andhra Pradesh and the 700 MW combined-cycle Bidadi Project in Karnataka. In 2004, Somers was recruited to head up the U.S.-India Business Council in Washington, D.C.
He remains so well-known in India that he is regularly recognized in public.
As current President of the U.S.-India Business Council, Ron serves as the Council's President, establishing strategy, leading policy initiatives and advocacy efforts, and is responsible for the Council's budgetary planning and communication with Capitol Hill and the Government of India. He is also the President of the Manhattan India Investment Roundtable, which focuses on key business opportunities and issues in India. Launched in February 2003, it provides a forum for presentation and evaluation of emerging opportunities in India and in Indo-U.S. business cooperation.
Somers played a lead role in securing passage of the Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement. He was aided by his knowledge of language and politics in India, which gave him credibility in the efforts to support passage. He also secured the support of relevant corporations, such as General Electric
, Ford, Boeing
, and Westinghouse
. He also formerly served on the Board of Directors of Hindustan Oil Exploration Company (HOEC), India’s first private sector oil & gas exploration company, as well as on the Board of Directors of the U.S. Educational Foundation in India – which oversees the Fulbright and Humphrey Scholarships for India.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businessman, is President of the U.S.-India Business Council. He played a lead role in coordinating the passage of the Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement and is widely regarded as a prominent figure in U.S.-India relations
U.S.-India relations
Indo-American relations or India–United States relations refers to international relations between the Republic of India and the United States of America....
.
Education
Somers holds an M.A. from the Bread Loaf Graduate School, where he studied at Lincoln College, OxfordLincoln College, Oxford
Lincoln College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is situated on Turl Street in central Oxford, backing onto Brasenose College and adjacent to Exeter College...
University, and an Honors B.A. from Middlebury College
Middlebury College
Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college located in Middlebury, Vermont, USA. Founded in 1800, it is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States. Drawing 2,400 undergraduates from all 50 United States and over 70 countries, Middlebury offers 44 majors in the arts,...
in Vermont. A distinguished high school scholar/athlete, Somers graduated with academic honors in 1972 from Oxford Hills High School, Norway, Maine.
He is fluent in Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
.
Professional life
Somers has over 30 years of experience in major infrastructure development in the United States and Asia – starting in the oil and gas industry on the drilling rigs of West Texas, transitioning to hydroelectric and IPP development, and then onwards to senior management for international companies of upstream, midstream and downstream energy and power assets.After graduating from Middlebury College, Somers worked as a roughneck on the oil rigs of Midland, Texas
Midland, Texas
Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Texas, United States, on the Southern Plains of the state's western area. A small portion of the city extends into Martin County. As of 2010, the population of Midland was 111,147. It is the principal city of the Midland, Texas...
, where he came to know future President of the United States George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
. The young Bush helped Somers to get his first real career break as a Landman (oil worker)
Landman (oil worker)
In the United States and Canada, a Landman or "Petroleum Landman" is an individual who performs various services for oil and gas exploration companies...
. He soon moved to California, where he supported in 1981 the development of the first privately-owned, commercial-sized run-of-river hydroelectric project in the western United States - the Bailey Creek Ranch Project, followed by the Montgomery Creek Hydroelectric Project - both of which are considered 'model' environmental projects even today. Ron maintains a 33% stake in Montgomery Creek Associates, a private limited partnership that has independently owned and operated clean, renewable energy
Renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
assets in the western United States since 1985. After serving as Chairman of the Small Power Producers' Association of California, Somers was recruited by the U.S. Agency for International Development to live in India as Resident Adviser from 1992 onwards to supervise the India Private Power Initiative, supporting India's Union Ministry of Power to attract private investment into India's power sector. During this period, Ron traveled extensively to most Indian states, becoming an expert on India's emerging energy sector. With the support of U.S. Ambassador Frank G. Wisner, this specialized knowledge of India enabled Ron to brief U.S. Energy Secretary Hazel R. O'Leary and Commerce Secretary Ron Brown when these U.S. Cabinet officials made their historic, maiden visits to India.
The U.S. based, international energy development company, Cogentrix Energy, hired Ron in 1994 to pioneer the development of the $1 billion, 1000 MW Mangalore Thermal Power Project in Karnataka, India. Thereafter, Ron was hired in 1999 as Unocal Corporation
Unocal Corporation
Union Oil Company of California, dba Unocal is a defunct company that was a major petroleum explorer and marketer in the late 19th century, through the 20th century, and into the early 21st century. It was headquartered in El Segundo, California, United States.On August 10, 2005, Unocal merged...
's Country Head in India. In this capacity he was responsible for securing potential customers and forming strategic alliances in India for the proposed Bangladesh to India Natural Gas Pipeline. Concurrently, Ron was extremely active in India’s upstream oil & gas industry through Unocal’s 26% shareholding in Hindustan Oil Exploration Company. During Ron’s tenure, Unocal in India partnered with reputable business houses and esteemed public sector enterprises to develop the proposed 3 million ton Ennore LNG Import Terminal in Tamil Nadu, the 350 MW gas-fired Gautami Power Project in Andhra Pradesh and the 700 MW combined-cycle Bidadi Project in Karnataka. In 2004, Somers was recruited to head up the U.S.-India Business Council in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
He remains so well-known in India that he is regularly recognized in public.
As current President of the U.S.-India Business Council, Ron serves as the Council's President, establishing strategy, leading policy initiatives and advocacy efforts, and is responsible for the Council's budgetary planning and communication with Capitol Hill and the Government of India. He is also the President of the Manhattan India Investment Roundtable, which focuses on key business opportunities and issues in India. Launched in February 2003, it provides a forum for presentation and evaluation of emerging opportunities in India and in Indo-U.S. business cooperation.
Somers played a lead role in securing passage of the Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement. He was aided by his knowledge of language and politics in India, which gave him credibility in the efforts to support passage. He also secured the support of relevant corporations, such as General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
, Ford, Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
, and Westinghouse
Westinghouse Electric Company
Westinghouse Electric Company LLC is a nuclear power company, offering a wide range of nuclear products and services to utilities throughout the world, including nuclear fuel, service and maintenance, instrumentation and control and advanced nuclear plant designs...
. He also formerly served on the Board of Directors of Hindustan Oil Exploration Company (HOEC), India’s first private sector oil & gas exploration company, as well as on the Board of Directors of the U.S. Educational Foundation in India – which oversees the Fulbright and Humphrey Scholarships for India.