Russian Grids chief Budargin could quit - paper
MOSCOW. Aug 31 (Interfax) - Russian Grids (Rosseti) CEO Oleg Budargin could quit at the beginning of September, the Vedomosti newspaper said, quoting sources in the industry and two federal officials.
Federal Grid Company CEO Andrei Murov and Deputy Energy Minister Vyacheslav Kravchenko are being mentioned as possible successors. The deputy minister and representatives of the grid companies declined to comment for the paper. The paper said government officials were reluctant to comment on the reasons for Budargin's possible resignation, limiting what they said to general words like "inefficiency" and "general dissatisfaction".
Interfax's sources in the grid industry and government have also heard Budargin might go. One of them said this might happen as early as September 2. The Interfax sources named Vyacheslav Kravchenko as Budargin's likely successor.
But some sources say this is nothing but rumor, that this was not the first time the sector had talked about Budargin's possible resignation. One of them said he might have lost his job half a year ago after a long-term development program was approved and in which Russian Grids announced a major revenue shortfall and the need for regulatory amendments. Also, the problems at the Lenenergo power utility that have recently come to light might cost Budargin his job, Interfax sources have said.
A source at Russian Grids said there was little likelihood Budargin would resign right now, that "everything has been calm" of late and there had not been any major complaints.
But Yevgeny Dod recently quit as head of federal hydro-generating company RusHydro in what was the power industry's biggest resignation in recent years, and Vedomosti's sources have said they expected more resignations at state-owned companies.
The state owns 85.3% of Russian Grids, the largest electricity transmission and distribution grid company in Russia, bringing together the backbone power grid complex, as well as inter-regional and regional distribution grid companies.
