REUTERS
Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said it was illegal for the gas suppliers to charge households according to the 6 cubic meters per month norm, adding that the Cabinet approved resolution to set a new 4.4 cubic meters norm.
Speaking at a government meeting March 23, Yatsenyuk said that a number of regional gas suppliers in early 2016 cancelled through the courts the last year's Cabinet resolution fixing a norm of gas consumption for the households not equipped with gas meters at 3 cubic meters, which brought into effect the older norm making the bills inflated.
Read alsoUkraine's gas stocks shrink to 9.7 bcm"Right now, gas supplying companies have taken an illegal decision of billing the Ukrainian citizens for gas, including if there is no meter, at 6 cubic meters for each household depending on its size, ranging between UAH 195 UAH to UAH 1,800 UAH though the heating season: the money they want to get illegally from the Ukrainian citizens and report as income of regional gas companies," Yatsenyuk said.
"The relevant ministry along with the agency on energy regulations calculated necessary calculations and, despite the fact that the highest court overturned a government decision, I propose now to take the appropriate resolution and set the norm not at 6 cubic meters, as the regional gas companies see it, but 4.4 cubic meters. This resolution shall be adopted and published immediately," Yatsenyuk said.
The Prime Minister also appealed to the gas supply companies with the demand to recalculate and return to the people the money they overpaid for the gas consumed earlier.
Read alsoNaftogaz chief: Gazprom loses $6 bln from EU reverse gas flows to Ukraine"I demand to immediately recalculate and return the people's money," said Yatsenyuk.
As UNIAN reported earlier, in May 2015 the Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk instructed the National Commission for Regulations in electricity and utilities (NKREKU) to fine and deprive of licenses the regional gas suppliers for violating the requirement to provide free gas meters to.
According to media reports, more than 70% of Ukrainian regional gas companies are controlled by the structures of Ukrainian businessman Dmytro Firtash. He also owns more than a half of Ukraine’s chemical enterprises.