Sergei Bogdanchikov may take over the Energy Minister office, the media said

Rosneft’s President Sergei Bogdanchikov may replace Sergei Shmatko as Russian Minister of Energy, the Gazette reports. Under the pressure of oil companies Mr. Shmatko is reported to step down from the office this fall.

 

According to the newspaper publication, oil companies are upset that Mr. Shmatko does not resolve the industry’s key issues. The newspaper’s sources informed that the oil companies had to resolve their problems not at their own Ministry, but at meetings with Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin (who is in charge of fuel and energy complex) or directly with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and President Dmitry Medvedev.

 

Lukoil’s President Vagit Alekperov was the first who had been offered to head the Ministry of Energy but declined, not willing to give up operational control of his company. Rosneft’s Sergey Bogdanchikov and StroyTransGas’ ex-president Alexander Ryazanov were named among the candidates to the office.

RBC Daily reports citing its sources that President Medvedev offered Mr. Bogdanchikov to head the Energy Ministry. Sergei Bogdanchikov, who had headed Rosneft for the past 12 years, has been appointed in July the company’s acting president. The contract with Mr. Bogdanchikov was reportedly not renewed. So far, its not clear who would take over his post, (according to Reuters, Bogdanchikov’s contract was extended for an indefinite period until a new head of Rosneft would be elected).

 

Rumors over Mr. Bogdanchikov’s possible resignation from his office in the largest state-owned oil company first appeared in June 2009. Mr. Ryazanov, who had been Deputy Chairman of Gazprom until 2006 and Gazprom Neft’s President, was said to succeed Mr. Bogdanchikov.

 

Sergei Shmatko, a former head of AtomStroiExport, who had not been engaged directly in the energy issues, was appointed the Minister of Energy in May 2008.