Reuters: Market News: Regional governor tipped as Russia energy minister

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Regional governor tipped as Russia energy minister Apr 6th 2012, 13:59 Fri Apr 6, 2012 9:59am EDT * Komarova, governor of oil region, may be compromise candidate * Rosatom chief Kiriyenko seen getting broad energy remit * Sechin seen continuing to call shots even if he changes jobs By Olesya Astakhova and Vladimir Soldatkin MOSCOW, April 6, Reuters - The regional governor of Russia's oil producing heartland is emerging as a candidate to take the key post of energy minister in the next government to be formed after President-elect Vladimir Putin is sworn in next month, sources said on Friday. Four sources familiar with the matter said that Natalya Komarova, governor of Khanty-Mansiisk, looked increasingly likely to replace Sergei Shmatko when outgoing President Dmitry Medvedev swaps jobs with Putin to become premier. "She is a compromise figure who suits everyone," one source in the Energy Ministry told Reuters. The energy minister is an important post in the world's largest oil and gas producer, overseeing the industry and shaping tax policies that determine whether multi-billion-dollar investments can make money or not. Three further sources - one close to the ruling United Russia party, one in the Khanty-Mansiisk regional government and one at an oil firm - said they had heard that Komarova had been tapped for the job. Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, played down Komarova's chance of being appointed but did not rule it out. "It's not serious; it's nothing but a stab in the dark. There is a chance, but you can work out this chance for yourself," he told Reuters. Komarova's office declined to comment, saying she was on a business trip. KEY ROLE Speculation has been rife over who will take over the energy portfolio and over the political future of Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin, who now has broad oversight over energy policy and outranks the energy minister. Sechin clashed last year with Medvedev, who ousted him as chairman of state-controlled oil company Rosneft. But he still enjoys the confidence of Putin, who sources say may move him to one of the 'power' ministries directly answerable to the president, or to the Kremlin administration. Earlier speculation over the energy post had focused on Sergei Kiriyenko, a former prime minister who now heads state nuclear power company Rosatom, and Mikhail Abyzov, who has a background in the power sector. Several sources have told Reuters that Kiriyenko could now take on a cabinet role overseeing energy. Sechin, Putin's confidant for the past two decades, would meanwhile continue to exert huge influence on the sector in whatever role he assumes. "Putin knows he can trust him 200 percent," a source close to the deputy prime minister said. "And who else is there?" Komarova, 56, is a seasoned oil industry professional who has been governor of Khanty-Mansiisk since Feb. 2010. Before that, she headed the committee on natural resources at Russia's State Duma lower house of parliament. In a significant recent move, Rosneft's first vice-president for finance, Pavel Fedorov, was named as deputy energy minister with responsibility for efforts to attract foreign investment into the energy sector. Fedorov, a Sechin protege and former investment banker, helped negotiate Rosneft's landmark Arctic offshore exploration deal struck last year with U.S. ExxonMobil. The ministry has now proposed tax reforms to make it easier for oil companies to shoulder the huge up-front costs of exploring for oil on Russia's continental shelf. Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints

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