From January 2024, Ukrainians will face a new type of payment in utility bills. Residents of multi-apartment buildings that use gas will receive additional costs intended for maintenance of gas pipes inside the entrance and apartment. The reason for introducing a new payment was the lack of systematic monitoring of the technical condition of gas networks inside buildings for several years.
Until 2018, funds for these works were included in the price of gas paid by operators of gas distribution networks. However, this practice has been discontinued, and operators are now required to estimate the cost of maintaining gas pipes inside buildings. This amount will be entered in a separate line of the gas bill.
Starting from 2024, Ukrainians will pay from 25 to 65 hryvnias every month for the maintenance of gas pipes inside the house. This initiative is aimed at creating a financial reserve for the necessary technical works.
Regulation of the new payment for gas is carried out with the help of three documents approved by the Ukrainian government: order of the Ministry of Energy No. 292 of September 2, 2023, resolution of the national regulator (NKREKP) No. 2291 of December 5, 2023, and the methodology for calculating the cost of maintenance, developed by the National Energy Regulatory Commission .
By the end of 2023, Ukrainians will receive two separate payments: one for gas (paid to the gas supplier) and another for gas delivery (paid to the gas distribution network operator). The gas distribution network operator will be responsible for the maintenance of the pipes that go to the apartment building, while the users themselves will be responsible for the pipes inside the building.
The cost of maintenance of indoor networks will be different for different regional gas companies, and these tariffs should be published on the respective portals of regional gas companies. It is noted that payments will vary from 25 to 69 hryvnias, depending on the region and the state of gas networks.
The new gas payment includes the cost of a number of technical services, such as a visual inspection of gas pipelines, a leak test of connections, a leak test under pressure and other procedures that ensure the safety and reliability of gas systems in homes.
We would like to remind you that information about the opening of two new gas wells, which can supply up to 200 thousand cubic meters of gas per day, also appeared in the Ukrainian news. At a time when these news stories highlight the development of the energy sector in Ukraine, Russia's Gazprom continues to make profits from gas and use them to wage war in Ukraine.
