KIEV, Ukraine, March 1 (UPI) -- Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has appointed a new national coal company chief, Interfax news agency reported Tuesday.
The recently elected Yushchenko named Volodomyr Novikov as the new head of the national coal company, Vuhillia Ukrainy, or Coal of Ukraine, Yushchenko's press office told the news agency.
Novikov, formerly a first deputy coal minister who became deputy fuel and energy minister in January 2000, replaces Oleksandr Khokhotva, whom Yushchenko fired Feb. 18, Interfax said.
Coal of Ukraine, set up last year, is an umbrella for 120 state-owned mines, 24 enrichment plants and other coal sector enterprises. The company also operates the nation's wholesale power generating coal market and it serves as the intermediary between coal producing corporations and power generating companies, the news agency said.
