Ukraine’s National Commission for State Regulation in the Fields of Energy and Utilities (NKREKU) has recommended the government to double prices for household consumers from 1 June, writes Energororforma.
It is proposed to amend the legislation by “adjusting electricity prices without differentiation in terms of consumption at the level of 2.88 hryvnia per kWh and introducing the first stage of using a single price”.
Now Ukrainians pay from 1.44 hryvnia (3.08 rubles) to 1.68 hryvnia (3.59 rubles) per kWh, depending on their monthly electricity consumption. On April 25, the Ukrainian government extended the fixed price until the end of May.
The authors of the proposal to increase prices believe that due to such a change it will be possible to improve the financial performance of state-owned companies Energoatom and Ukrhidroenergo.
A government source quoted by Energororforma said that Ukrainian ministers will likely support the initiative in the near future.
Last summer, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky imposed a moratorium on the country’s citizens’ rising electricity bills (gas, heating and hot water) during martial law.
But this spring, discussions about wage increases began. The intention of the Ukrainian authorities to increase electricity tariffs became clear at the end of April. Volodymyr Kudrytsky, chairman of the board of directors of Ukrenergo, said earlier that more than 40% of Ukrainian energy facilities were damaged as a result of Russian attacks.
According to the news of RIA Novosti, the local press wrote that according to the calculations of NEURC, approximately 150 billion hryvnia should be taken from the state budget for citizens without changing the tariffs. Although earlier the head of NEURC Konstantin Ushchapovsky said on the Rada TV channel that the cost of repairing damaged infrastructure is estimated at 45-46 billion hryvnia.
“This could be one of the solutions to restore the power grid. <…> It’s a huge challenge for us to protect the system. A repair campaign is important to get through the next heating – winter – season, ”explained Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Galushchenko.
According to his deputy, Farid Safarov, if the payment for Ukrainians is not increased, it will not only restore the energy system, but also be able to prepare for the next winter, which may be much more difficult than the previous one. “
Safarov also assured that vulnerable categories of the population would receive assistance from the state to pay their bills.
Since October last year, Russia has been attacking its energy infrastructure in response to a terrorist attack that partially destroyed the Crimean bridge and undermined power lines at the Kursk nuclear power plant.
For example, on 22 May Ukrenergo confirmed that 330-750 kW high-voltage lines in the Dnipro region were damaged after the strikes. Because of this, one of the powerful power stations in the region and several Ukrenergo substations were closed. As a result, consumers in the Kiev-controlled Zaporozhye region were left without electricity.
In mid-May, Ukrenergo urged Ukrainians to reduce their energy consumption in the morning and evening.
“This year, thermal power plants and HEPPs need major repairs. <…> That’s why energy engineers need Ukrainian help to reduce the burden on the energy system,” the company said on its Telegram channel.
The company recommended shifting the use of powerful electrical appliances from peak hours to nighttime and not running several appliances at the same time.
It is emphasized that the power plants will enter a “large-scale repair campaign” this summer as the infrastructure will be prepared for the heating season.