Photo from UNIAN
Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman says the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine will not raise the price of natural gas for the needs of the population and regional heating companies in the upcoming 2017-2018 heating season.
"I would like to note that the government does not support any increase in gas prices in the country in the new heating season. This is a principled position of the government," he said during a conference call in Mykolaiv, which was devoted to the preparation for a new heating season.
Read alsoEuropean Commission successfully tests Ukraine's GTS before upcoming heating season"As of today, there are no objective grounds for raising gas prices for the population and regional heating companies. The prices will not be raised by the government's decision," he said.
As UNIAN reported earlier, the Cabinet set a single gas price for households at UAH 6,879, or US$265, per 1,000 from May 1, 2016. According to Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman, this decision will eliminate all existing schemes of earnings on the difference in fuel prices.
The gas companies sold gas to households at the said price, which was set until April 1, 2017. Then the Cabinet extended the special obligations for Naftogaz to sell gas through regional gas companies and set the gas price for households at UAH 6,079, or $234, per 1,000 cubic meters until October 1, 2017. The price excludes the fuel delivery fee.
According to the decree on assigning special obligations to the subjects of the natural gas market, the gas price for households is to be reviewed twice a year, namely by July 1 and October 1. It is linked to the CIF parity, that is, the cost of gas at Germany's NetConnect Germany NCG hub.
On July 10, Profile Deputy Energy Minister Ihor Prokopiv said that the ministry did not see any reason to increase the gas price for households for the next heating season.