REUTERS
The draft law cancels the so-called "frost" ratios.
The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, has passed in the first reading a bill on the transition to European standards for gas metering in energy units (kWh).
Relevant bill No. 2553 "On amending certain legislative acts of Ukraine regarding the introduction of metering and calculation on the natural gas market of gas volume in energy units," was backed by 281 MPs with the required minimum of 226 votes, according to an UNIAN correspondent.
Reporting on the bill, MP Andrii Zhupanyn said the document cancels the so-called "frost" ratios.
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"Most importantly, we're doing this for consumers. This bill cancels the so-called 'frost' ratios. You may have heard that 8.5 million consumers have been struggling with 'frost' ratios, i.e. from overpayments to gas suppliers. Consumers will finally start paying for gas quality, not for the volume that can be manipulated. Accordingly, the consumer will be able to compare the effectiveness of natural gas and electricity," he said.
Zhupanyn also said the bill brings Ukraine closer to European standards.
"We are bringing Ukraine closer to the standards of the Energy Community and fulfilling the requirements of the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement. The bill is a prerequisite for integrating the Ukrainian market into the EU gas market," he added.
As UNIAN reported earlier, in April 2019, National Joint-Stock Company Naftogaz of Ukraine said Ukraine should adopt a number of regulatory documents and gradually switch to gas payments in energy units, which will allow consumers to estimate own gas consumption compared to electricity use.
UNIAN memo. The current gas calculation system in Ukraine takes no account of the calorific gas value, i.e. the consumer is unaware of how much heat they get from 1 cubic meter of gas. In the EU member states and many other countries, gas consumption is calculated in kWh or kilocalories, rather than being measured in cubic meters.