Henri Proglio, the pro-nuclear boss of French state utility EDF, will likely clear a first hurdle on Thursday in his campaign for a new mandate, but it is not certain he will end up in full control, government and industry sources said, reports Reuters.
Appointed in 2009 by conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy, the power group's chairman and chief executive has repeatedly spoken out against President François Hollande's 2012 election promise to cap nuclear power and save energy. It was widely expected he would go when Hollande took power.
Yet two years later and with just over a month to go the end of his mandate on November 22nd, Proglio is still there at the head of 84 percent state-owned EDF.
Asked about the odds on the 65-year-old staying on longer, a top corporate source with government connections said: "three out of four". Sources say that after a board meeting on Thursday, his name will likely be on a list of new board members to be proposed to a shareholders meeting on November 21st.
If Proglio's name is not on Thursday's list, he is out of a job. If he is on it, he may still end up with a less powerful role.
The government has said it plans to split the chairman's role from that of chief executive at state-owned nuclear group Areva. It could do the same at EDF under the terms of a decree on top appointments dating from earlier this year, reappointing Proglio as chairman but bringing in a new CEO.
Sources say Hollande has not made up his mind yet, but that Proglio stands a good chance of getting a second term of some description.
A series of names have been floated as possible replacements. They include railways boss Guillaume Pepy, former Peugeot Citroën head Philippe Varin, and Philippe Crouzet, CEO of steel pipes maker Vallourec and an EDF board member.
The head of employers organisation Medef, Laurence Parisot, is the only person to have officially declared an interest in the job. Potential internal candidates include finance chief Thomas Piquemal and Vincent de Rivaz, who heads EDF's British arm.
Analysts say Hollande's hesitation about the Proglio succession reflects his own ambivalence over energy policy.
Even though Hollande was elected on a platform to wind down France's reliance on nuclear energy and boost renewables, energy policy has taken a back seat.
Parliament is due to vote later on Tuesday on an energy bill produced by Ségolène Royal, Hollande's former partner and his fourth energy minister in three years.
Read more of this report from Reuters.