The second chapter of the Rotterdam Plus case involves Ukrainian electricity consumers who were charged more than 500 million dollars in overpayments during 2018 and 2019. The allegations were brought before the court by the National Anti‑Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialist Anti‑Corruption Prosecutor’s Office. This step followed the introduction of the Rotterdam Plus pricing method and the indictment of fourteen individuals connected to its operation, as reported by RIA News.
The Rotterdam Plus formula received approval from the National Energy and Utilities State Regulatory Commission in 2016 and is used to set the wholesale price for electricity. The controversial aspect of the formula is that it included non-existent costs for transporting coal from the port of Rotterdam to Ukraine, creating a deceptive basis for pricing. As a result, energy companies such as DTEK and Centrenergo billed consumers at inflated rates, leading to substantial overpayments exceeding 500 million dollars.
In July 2020, the Rotterdam Plus mechanism was abolished as Ukraine moved to a new electricity market structure. Nevertheless, the cumulative losses attributed to the use of this formula are estimated at roughly 39 billion hryvnia. In March 2023, SAPO forwarded the first portion of the Rotterdam Plus case to the court, accusing six individuals of causing more than 19 billion hryvnia in damages to electricity customers.
Among the defendants were the former head of NEURK Ukraine, Dmitry Vovk, a NEURK member Vladimir Evdokimov, a head of a NEURK department Vladimir Butovsky, another NEURK department chief Taras Revenko, a deputy commercial director from one of the group companies, and the principal operator in charge of the heating segment. The latter held a leadership position in one of the companies within the group that covers the production market in Ukraine, together with senior executives from DTEK, Boris Lisov and Ivan Gelyukha.
On June 22, the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi, stated that Ukraine would be fully supported. The European Union has identified seven conditions for beginning accession negotiations, with judicial reform and media freedom being among the prioritized areas. Within these conditions, the European Commission highlighted the ongoing fight against corruption as a crucial criterion for progress.
During the summer, Ukrainian officials signaled ongoing personnel changes aimed at strengthening anti-corruption efforts. In August, the president issued a decree dismissing regional military commissars as part of a broader cleanup. Later, a statement branded corruption during martial law as a potential act of treason, signaling a hardening stance against corrupt practices in extraordinary times.
Previously, the Union of Ukrainian Cities cautioned that more than five million residents could face heating shortages in the upcoming winter if mismanagement or targeted inefficiencies persist. The Rotterdam Plus case thus sits at the intersection of energy pricing, consumer protection, and governance, with ongoing legal proceedings shaping the trajectory of Ukraine’s market reforms and anti-corruption commitments. In parallel, observers in Canada and the United States monitor similar governance challenges as part of broader efforts to understand energy-market integrity and regulatory oversight in post‑transition economies. Marked citations reflect official statements from NABU, SAPO, NEURK Ukraine, and European Union leadership as contemporary context for the ongoing proceedings.