The debts of the utility companies in Kharkiv to the distribution system operator (DSO) Kharkivoblenergo, which is part of the Ukrainian Distribution Networks (UDN), have increased by 12% since the beginning of 2024. As of October 1, the total debt amounts to 2.43 billion UAH, according to the energy company's press service.
"Currently, the current payments made by the Kharkivvodokanal utility are at 11.7% of the charges for electricity distribution services, with a debt of 1.85 billion UAH. It is precisely due to this enterprise's failure to make payments over the past nine months that the debts of the utility companies to Kharkivoblenergo have significantly risen," the statement noted.
According to the report, the debt of the municipal enterprise Kharkiv Thermal Networks, which has started to pay for current consumption, remains nearly at the same level as at the beginning of the year, amounting to 563.7 million UAH.
Acting General Director of Kharkivoblenergo, Vyacheslav Kravtsov, stated in the release that the energy company operates under constant shelling and requires funds for daily repairs of equipment and restoration of damaged power grids. Thus, the issue of timely payment for services is critical and requires immediate resolution at the state level: through targeted subsidies to the local budget of Kharkiv or a compensation mechanism for Kharkivvodokanal and Kharkiv Thermal Networks.
He emphasized that the problem of debts could lead to the loss of the ability to provide stable electricity supply to the population and critical infrastructure facilities.
According to the acting director of UDN, Artem Martyniuk, the lack of effective measures to stabilize payments for DSO services at the state level will eventually deplete its financial resources, making current operations impossible.
As reported, citing Kravtsov, the debts of the utility companies in Kharkiv to Kharkivoblenergo as of July 1 amounted to 1.213 billion UAH and are the main reason for the crisis financial situation of the distribution system operator. The largest debtors of the DSO are the utility companies Kharkivvodokanal and Kharkiv Thermal Networks.