“To put it mildly, a shameful decision”: the increase in water tariffs angered Zelensky

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized the decision of the National Energy and Utilities Regulatory Commission to increase tariffs for centralized water supply services from July 1, 2023.

He stated this in an evening video message on July 1, promising a response from the Cabinet of Ministers.

According to the head of state, the decision of NEURC was not agreed with the government.

“Today there was a message from the National Commission for Energy and Public Utilities on the increase in water tariffs. To put it mildly, a shameful decision. Unprofessional. Not approved by the government. We cannot and will not calmly make such decisions. The government has been instructed to file a response. And they will, Zelensky assured.

Previously, Shmihal called the decision of the NEURC “unacceptable”

According to him, during the war, everyone should act as a single team, especially in such sensitive sectors as energy and tariff setting.

In turn, Deputy Energy Minister Farid Safarov explained that the state was forced to raise electricity tariffs in order to attract funding for a repair campaign and the resumption of the country’s energy infrastructure damaged by Russian attacks.

“But raising tariffs for private companies owned by local businessmen who have not invested in the development of the relevant infrastructure for decades, and now they are trying to shift this burden onto citizens, is unacceptable,” he said in a comment to Censor. .

Recall that NEURC has set new tariffs for 34 water utilities of the country, depending on the region and the number of consumers. The average increase is 32%.