Serhiy Tulub, president of the Enerhoatom state nuclear energy company, has been appointed Ukraine’s Fuel and Energy Minister. Under the relevant presidential decree, he will combine his ministerial post with that of Enerhoatom president.
His appointment has immediately caused speculation that the top priority for the new minister will be, as before, the completion of the new nuclear power units in the Khmelnytsky and Rivne nuclear power plants. Yet, enterprising top manager Tulub is apparently interested in the entire political field of his ministerial post (despite its numerous hidden mines). As for the nuclear projects that are yet to be completed, it is also unlike him to abandon them now that everything is going according to plan. In his last interview with The Day Mr. Tulub did not hide the fact that he considers himself well — if better than anyone else — prepared to take charge of the energy sector, which he had already managed once. A hereditary coal miner, Tulub had risen to the level of a so-called coal general. This circumstance was seriously considered before his first appointment as the fuel and energy minister, lest he should lobby undeserved privileges for miners. Yet the minister never resorted to deception or upward distortions. Meanwhile, when he understood that his experience and views did not match those of then Vice Premier for the Fuel and Energy Sector Yuliya Tymoshenko, he submitted his resignation without thinking twice.
Opposition print media have rushed to publish the comments of Ms. Tymoshenko regarding the appointment of the new fuel and energy minister, in which she accuses Tulub of all the deadly sins.
However, The Day’s archive has preserved a copy of a document dating from that period, which offers an analysis of the record of the “most reform-minded government” and its enterprising vice premier: “Instead of directing all efforts toward developing a strategy of reforming the management system and effecting market reforms in the fuel and energy complex, the major decisions of the government last year came down to transferring almost all managerial functions to individual persons in the cabinet. Meanwhile, these persons resorted to the so-called hands-on control methods to manage the fuel and energy sector, which were used among other things to obtain control over financial flows and achieve personal political ends.” All this was supported with figures, which no one bothered to deny at the time.
The critics of Tulub should also consider the recognition he has earned in the nuclear energy sector, especially from the trade unions. Tulub began with a housing construction program and completed it successfully. He also set two more strategic goals, namely to increase the installed nuclear capacity utilization ratio (this could be achieved only by speeding repairs and increasing their quality) and launch two new nuclear units. He has succeeded on both counts.
Introducing the new minister, Premier Yanukovych said that a presidential decree is being prepared to create the Coal Company, to which the Fuel and Energy Ministry will transfer all functions of managing coal mines. He further noted that even after the company is created, the ministry should “continue to reform the coal sector.”
Launching the new nuclear power units does not seem all that simple either. To do this, Tulub will have to pay more attention to the completion of the Dnister Storage Power Plant.
Thankfully, the leading contender for the ministerial post, Naftohaz Ukrayiny Chairman Boiko, has not been appointed, which gives hope that the oil flow in the Odesa-Brody pipeline, which is also under the jurisdiction of the Fuel and Energy Ministry, will not be reversed.
However, Vice Premier for the Fuel and Energy Complex Andriy Kliuyev seems to be the key figure in the Odesa-Brody project. Pres. Kuchma has even set a deadline for Kliuyev to launch the pipeline. Will the energy bloc in the government work well together despite certain differences over funding for the completion of the nuclear power plants and distribution of funds in the energy market? We can assume that this will not pose a problem for the two former miners despite the fact that one of them is not believed to belong to the Donetsk financial and industrial group. However, given the fact that he has been supported in the parliament by the Democratic Initiatives group headed by the coordinator of the parliamentary-governmental coalition, the political weight of the new minister is quite significant. Perhaps this will be taken into account both in the parliament, where he will have to negotiate the unpopular decision on writing off gas debts, and in the government.
BLITZ INTERVIEW
Serhiy TULUB: “Wage Arrears Should Be Paid Quickly”
After being introduced to the ministry staff, Serhiy Tulub answered several questions from The Day
“How do you plan to solve the problem of filling the Odesa-Brody pipeline?”
“To form an opinion, I must study the problem and listen to specialists and experts. Then I will get my personal impression. The oil pipeline should work in the interests of the state. This is the main thing.”
“Would you please comment on the creation of the Coal Company?”
“This is a very necessary idea, and it should be implemented as soon as possible. The president told me about it, and I consider it my personal task. I have gone through all of the coal sector and know it inside out. I therefore think that creating such a company will be only for the benefit of the miners and will improve the work and management conditions. For me the main thing is that the company will make it possible to finally pay the miners’ back wages. This should be done quickly.”
“What kind of company will it be?”
“In my view, it should be a national joint-stock company. But specialists are working on this now, and it will be created in the best way from the legal viewpoint.”
“Incidentally, what about the state nuclear energy company? What will change with your appointment?”
“We must study all the issues. As the premier has said, today we must solve the problems that have accumulated in the energy sector, this being the accrued debt. Moreover, all those bankruptcy matters should be taken care of. We must give the energy sector an opportunity to function normally. We will necessarily follow the relevant presidential decree.”
