The return to electricity blackout schedules in May has its own logic, and the increase in electricity tariffs from June 1 cannot be avoided, according to Serhii Nagorniak, People's Deputy and member of the Parliamentary Committee on Energy and Housing and Communal Services.
Many citizens are concerned about why the outages only started in May, especially given last month's attacks on energy facilities. Nagorniak explains that the cold temperatures forced many to use electric heating, leading to an increase in electricity consumption of more than 1,000 MW across the country. In addition, production at nuclear power plants decreased by about 500 MW due to planned repairs.
Regarding the increase in tariffs, Nagornyak claims that this is a necessary step. Current levels do not correspond to real costs and do not provide sufficient funds for the development of generation capacities. Discussions in the government concern the increase of tariffs to the level of 4.5-5 hryvnias/kW for households from June 1. However, it is important to note that the funds collected from this increase will be directed to the development of generation, and not to paying for the services of service companies. This includes the accumulation of funds for the restoration of the capacities of Ukrhydroenergo and the construction of new power units of the Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plant.
