The return to electricity outage schedules in May has its own logic, and an increase in electricity tariffs from June 1 is inevitable, according to Serhiy Nagornyak, a 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 began in May, especially given last month's attacks on energy facilities. Nagornyak explains that low temperatures have forced many to use electric heating, which has led to an increase in electricity consumption by more than 1,000 megawatts across the country. In addition, production at nuclear power plants has decreased by about 500 megawatts due to scheduled repairs.
Regarding the tariff increase, Nagornyak argues 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 an increase in tariffs to the level of 4.5-5 UAH/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 pay for the services of service companies. This includes the accumulation of funds for the restoration of Ukrhydroenergo capacities and the construction of new power units of the Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plant.
