The heating season has come to an end in Ukraine, during which utility bills were not raised. At the time, the Cabinet of Ministers stressed that tariffs for heating, electricity and gas would not change until the end of the heating season. However, whether they will rise now is an open question, which Komersant ukrainskyi looked into.
Electricity price
The price of electricity for household consumers has already been rising during the full-scale invasion: last year it increased from UAH 1.68 to UAH 2.64 per 1 kW, all because of Russian shelling of critical infrastructure.
This year, the shelling has also continued and has become more widespread: the Russians damaged the thermal power plant that supplies Kharkiv,completely destroyed the Trypillia thermal power plant in Kyiv region, and attacked the thermal power plant in Sumy.
Despite the fact that the Ministry of Energy had previously stated that there was no decision on raising electricity tariffs yet, according to Oleh Popenko, Advisor to the Deputy Head of the Kyiv City State Administration in 2019-2020, Head of the Committee on Housing, Improvement, Ecology of the Public Council at the Kyiv City State Administration in 2017-2021, and founder of the NGO Consumers Union of Ukraine, the Ministry of Energy is already considering raising prices due to the massive shelling.
“As far as I know, the Ministry of Energy is considering raising electricity tariffs for household consumers. At the same time, they are considering the decision of the National Energy and Utilities Regulatory Commission to remove price caps (price limits – ed.) in the electricity market. This means that the upper and lower limits will also be removed. In my opinion, this will lead to an increase in tariffs in the market. I think the tariff for household consumers will rise to UAH 3.5 per 1 kW,”
– said Oleg Popenko.
Daria Orlova, an energy expert, agreed with him and spoke about a possible price increase for commercial consumers.
“The Russians have knocked out our shunting generation, i.e. thermal power plants and hydroelectric power plants that operate during peak consumption hours and cover our ‘peaks’. We have lost them, and the cost of electricity during the peak hours of 19:00-23:00 may increase, meaning that prices for commercial consumers will rise. Now we have to cover this deficit with imported electricity,”
– orlova said.
Gas price
Currently, the price of gas for household consumers for 1 cubic metre of fuel is UAH 7.96. This applies to almost 98% of the population who use the services of Naftogaz. For the rest of the suppliers, the cost of natural gas ranges from UAH 7.70 to UAH 9.90 per cubic metre. According to Naftogaz, the price of gas for household consumers will not increase during martial law and for six months after it ends.
Although some experts have pointed out that the price of gas could theoretically increase, there are no reasons for this at the moment – after the start of the full-scale invasion, as well as due to the destruction of industrial consumers of natural gas and a decrease in the number of consumers, Ukraine is able to meet its needs with its own production. In addition, the price of a thousand cubic metres on the gas exchange has dropped significantly over the year, from UAH 15.1 thousand to UAH 11.29 thousand.
Prices for district heating and hot water
The government’s moratorium applies not only to gas prices, but also to district heating and hot water prices, which will remain at pre-war levels. Prices for district heating and hot water vary from region to region, but are pre-war levels everywhere.
Heating prices:
Hot water prices:
Price of cold water
Currently, Ukraine still has pre-war tariffs for cold water, but the price may rise this month: back in winter, the National Energy and Utilities Regulatory Commission published a draft law that envisages an increase in the cost of water in two stages: from April and from July 2024. Although the prices have not yet been finalised, suppliers have already provided the regulator with new amounts and justifications for the price increases.
Possible tariffs for cold water
The first wave of the increase (April):
- Kyiv – up to UAH 40.776/m³;
- Vinnytsia – up to 35 UAH/m³;
- Dnipro – up to 37.61 UAH/m³;
- Lviv – 9.73 UAH/m³;
- Ivano-Frankivsk – 5.63 UAH/m³;
- Chernivtsi – 10.87 UAH/m³;
- Drohobych – 15.54 UAH/m³.
The second wave of the increase (July):
- Lvivvodokanal – UAH 10.8;
- Ivano-Frankivskvodoekotehprom – UAH 7;
- Chernivtsi Vodokanal – UAH 12.3;
- Drohobychvodokanal – UAH 18.7.
As for small towns, their authorities can set prices without approval from the regulator.
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