Energoatom supervisory board dismisses Kotin as company head

The supervisory board of state-owned nuclear power company Energoatom has terminated the powers of Petro Kotin and dismissed him as chairman of the management board, with immediate effect, according to its statement.

"To ensure the continuous and uninterrupted management of Energoatom, Pavlo Kovtoniuk, general director of the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant, has agreed to temporarily serve as acting chairman of the management board," the company announced on Telegram Thursday morning.

The supervisory board said Kovtoniuk has the experience and professional qualities necessary to perform the role, which will help ensure stable operations and proper preparations for the critical autumn-winter period.

A competitive selection process will soon begin for a permanent chairman as well as other board positions. Three new key posts have been proposed: chief operating officer (COO), vice president for governance and ethics, and vice president for finance and strategy.

"In connection with the competition for the chairmanship and the need to maintain only five positions on the management board, the supervisory board decided to initiate the creation of new roles to meet the company's current needs, implement best practices, and enhance transparency," the statement said.

The management board had three members: Kotin; acting vice president and board member Hartmut Jakob; and acting first vice president–technical director Oleksandr Ostapovets. Kotin had led Energoatom since April 2020, having started his career at the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant in 1985.

Kovtoniuk became head of the Rivne plant in June 2022 following the dismissal of Pavlo Pavlishyn, after serving as the station's chief engineer.

Recently, the Cabinet of Ministers amended Energoatom's charter to expand its supervisory board from five to seven members. The board currently has four members: chair Jarek Niewierowicz, deputy chair Michael Elliott Kirst, and state representatives Tymofiy Mylovanov and Vitaliy Petruk. A third independent member, Timothy Stone, declined to sign a contract.

The government plans to complete the formation of supervisory boards for energy companies by the end of this year.