Photo from UNIAN
Candidates are already undergoing vetting.
Acting Minister of Energy and Environmental Protection Olha Buslavets reportedly did not live up to hopes and of President Volodymyr Zelensky, also having failed to win his trust.
That's according to ZN.ua citing a source in the Presidential Office.
"She has allegedly made a number of illegal decisions in favor of enterprises owned by Rinat Akhmetov and Dmytro Firtash in the energy sector. Moreover, it's not the first month that Zelensky has been reflecting on the situation – on March 30 he recalled from the Rada the issue of Buslavets' appointment as Minister of Energy, although on April 16 the Cabinet appointed her acting minister," the report reads.
As a result, the Presidential Office is considering another candidate for the minister's post.
Among such candidates, the source has named Valery Kalchenko, Viktor Kurtev, Oleksander Sahura, and Kostiantyn Ushchapovsky.
Currently, candidates are undergoing a special vetting.
Valery Kalchenko is considered Yulia Tymoshenko's ally. From 2005 to 2006 and from 2007 to March 2010, he was head of the national energy regulator (NEURC). From 2011 to 2014 he was its member.
Viktor Kurtev was in spotlight in a number of scandals. According to information from the court registries, Kurtev's company is a plaintiff or defendant in 29 litigations and criminal proceedings. The media also call him a superviser in the energy business representing interests of Vasyl Khmelnytsky. In 2019, Kurtev ran for parliament with the Servant of the People party but lost the popular vote.
Read alsoPolitical scientist claims oligarch Akhmetov behind acting energy minister
Oleksandr Sahura, media reports say, until September last year headed the supervisory board of Ternopoloblenergo energy distribution company, and also headed the Ukrenergoconsulting firm, which manages the assets of the Surkis brothers in the energy sector.
Kostiantyn Ushchapovsky was an advisor to Minister Ihor Nasalik in 2017, when the law on the electricity market was adopted. Also, he used to head Ukrenergo (from April to December 2014). Until June 2019, he was deputy director of one of the units at Energoatom nuclear operator.
As UNIAN reported earlier, acting energy minister Olha Buslavets decided to shut down three nuclear power units and reduce the capacity of five more units operated by Ukraine's national nuclear power giant Energoatom, which generates the cheapest electricity. This allowed other types of generation, namely coal and solar ones, to maintain their revenues.
Akhmetov's energy holding DTEK owns two thirds of coal-fired thermal power plants (TPPs) and takes up the largest share (over 20%) of the country's renewables market.
Buslavets was appointed acting energy minister in mid-April. Prime Minister Shmyhal, who previously served as a top manager at DTEK Zakhidenergo, has endorsed her nomination.
Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Energy, Housing and Utilities, Andriy Gerus earlier said that Buslavets contributed to the adoption of the so-called "Rotterdam Plus" coal pricing formula during her tenure as head of the ministry's energy markets directorate, which also boosted DTEK's revenue.