Electricity at 17 UAH from 1 May: will Ukrainians’ bills go up?

This is reported by Fakty, citing a decision by the NEURC.

There is renewed talk in Ukraine of rising electricity prices following the NEURC’s decision, which raises the maximum prices on the electricity market. The new rules will come into force on 1 May 2026.

This does not concern the basic tariff for households, but rather the maximum electricity prices on the market. It is there that the cost of electricity for businesses and suppliers is determined.

The NEURC’s decision concerns the ‘day-ahead’ market, the intraday market and the balancing market.

In the main markets, the maximum price may reach up to 15,000 UAH per MWh. In the balancing market, the price cap will be up to 17,000 UAH per MWh.

Converted, this amounts to around 17 UAH per kWh.

An important point emphasised by the NEURC: the new prices do not directly affect the general public. The tariff for domestic consumers currently remains at around 4.32 UAH per kWh.

Electricity is purchased at market prices by industrial enterprises, large businesses and electricity suppliers.

Although the NEURC’s decision does not formally affect the general public, its consequences may be felt indirectly.

The reason is that higher electricity costs for businesses may affect the prices of goods, the cost of services and the overall inflation rate.

In other words, Ukrainians may feel these changes not through a direct increase in electricity bills, but through prices in shops and bills for other services.

According to information from the energy market, the NEURC’s decision was made taking into account requests from businesses and the situation in the power system.

This is not the first increase in price caps. Back in January, the maximum price stood at 16 UAH per kWh, and now it has been raised even further.

In effect, this involves gradually bringing the market into line with more realistic prices that reflect the costs of electricity generation and import.

As of now, the NEURC has not announced any tariff increases for households from 1 May.

At the same time, against the backdrop of such market changes, the question of a possible tariff review remains open, particularly given forecasts of a potential review this summer.

Thus, 17 UAH per kWh is the maximum price for businesses in certain market segments. The tariff for households remains unchanged for now, but pressure on the economy is mounting.

The market is gradually moving towards more expensive electricity. Therefore, even if household bills do not change from 1 May, Ukrainians may feel the impact of the NEURC’s decision later and not directly.

As reported by ThePublic, two-zone electricity metering is becoming more accessible to residents of the capital. Thanks to the comprehensive ‘Day-Night’ service, consumers can reduce their costs for electricity consumed at night by 50%.

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