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The Ukrainian government is awaiting positions from the independent members of the supervisory board of the State Enterprise "Energoatom," whose first meeting has been open for five months (since July 17), regarding contracts and their readiness to continue work, stated First Deputy Minister of Economy Alexey Sobolev.
"On July 17, the supervisory board held its first meeting, which remains open due to ongoing discussions about contracts. On November 26, the government made a decision to approve the terms of civil law contracts with 'Energoatom.' They are currently with the independent members, and we expect to receive their position at any moment regarding whether they are ready to sign and continue working," – he said during a parliamentary energy committee meeting on Wednesday, which was broadcast online.
According to Energy Reform's correspondent, Sobolev noted that at the first meeting, the members of the supervisory board of "Energoatom" are expected to elect its chairman.
He mentioned that this is the first instance where contracts have not been signed for such a long time.
"The Cabinet had its proposals, and the supervisory board members made suggestions that sometimes contradicted the law. We tried to moderate and formulate a position that allowed for the decision on November 26 to approve the contracts. I hope they will sign them now," Sobolev said.
"I cannot disclose details; the contracts are for official use only," the first deputy head of the Ministry of Economy noted.
In response to a question about the proposed salary level, Sobolev stated that it corresponds to existing salaries in other major energy companies in Ukraine.
"They are not significantly different from other salary levels. If you know or understand the salaries (of board members – ER) in 'Ukrenergo' and 'Naftogaz,' you can expect a similar level in 'Energoatom,'" he added, noting that the conditions are the same for all board members.
According to Cabinet Resolution No. 1224-r dated November 26, 2024, regarding the contracts for the independent members of the supervisory board of "Energoatom" and state representatives, published on the "Government Portal," these conditions are an addition to the original and are not disclosed.
As reported, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the supervisory board of "Energoatom" consisting of five members by resolution dated June 21 of this year.
Timothy Stone became an independent member of the board, having experience as an independent director at the British Horizon Nuclear Power, non-executive director of the European Investment Bank, and leading the UK Nuclear Industry Association (NIA).
The board also includes Michael Kirst, who has held leadership positions at Westinghouse Electric Company, and Jarek Neverovich – former Minister of Energy of Lithuania and chief advisor to the President of Lithuania on environmental and infrastructure issues. State representatives include former Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture, now president of the Kyiv School of Economics, Tymofiy Milovanov, and Vitaliy Petruk, the state secretary of the Ministry of Economy, who headed the State Agency for the Management of the Exclusion Zone from 2015 to 2019.
The decision to establish the State Enterprise "Energoatom," 100% of whose shares are owned by the state, was made by the Cabinet on December 29, 2023. In January 2024, the company was registered, along with its charter, and in February, it received a registration certificate for a share issue of over 306 billion UAH.
Milovanov, in a comment to Energy Reform on October 15 of this year, noted that the signing of contracts with the members of the "Energoatom" supervisory board will soon be completed, adding that the contracts are in the final stages of signing and "there is no betrayal here."
In early March, the head of "Energoatom," Petro Kotin, reported that over 40 applications had been submitted for the competition to select independent members of the supervisory board of "Energoatom."
As sources from Energy Reform noted in the market, the independent members were dissatisfied with the amount of remuneration.