In accordance with the previously approved timetable, the national energy regulator (NEURC) announced that utility electricity tariffs must take the fifth and final increase as March 1. The National Energy and Utilities Regulation Commission said in a release on 1 March that the number of consumption categories will henceforth be reduced down to two: Ukrainian households will pay 90 kopecks/kWh for the first 100 kWh a month including VAT (previously 71.4 kopecks), and 1.68 hryvnya/kWh if the threshold is exceeded (previously from 129 to 163,8 hryvnya).
The households equipped with duly registered electric heating devices will have to pay according to 3,600 kWh a month threshhold.
The regulator estimates that the average increase in the electricity bills will make 9.3 hryvnya with the consumption up to 50 kWh; with the consumption of up to 100 kWh - 18.6 hryvnya; with consumption above 150 kWh the increase will be at 38.10 hryvnya.
Increasing utility tariffs to economically justified levels has been a requirement of the International Monetary Fund for the continuation of the lending program.
The government launched an all-encompassing program of subsidies to compensate low-income citizens for the increase in utility tariffs.