The import of electricity for shopping malls is more optimal than using generators; however, there are issues with local energy companies in some regions, representatives of shopping malls reported during the RAU Summit-2024 on Wednesday.
Iryna Kruppa, the General Director of BFC Gulliver (Kyiv), shared that BFC Gulliver consumes an average of approximately 3.5 MW of electricity per month during the winter season.
“In addition to outages, there are also limitations in Kyiv for large facilities; for us, it’s 1.5 MW per month. In any case, we need to connect generators even for this amount that we are allotted. A very effective solution to this situation is signing a contract for imported electricity, and we were among the first to take advantage of this opportunity,” she stated.
According to Kruppa, in October, Ukrainian tariffs were 7.06 UAH, plus distribution costs of 92 kopecks, while the import tariff was 10.49 UAH.
“We use a mixed tariff; we are allowed to consume 20% Ukrainian electricity and 80% imported. The weighted average tariff at BFC Gulliver for October was 8 UAH 72 kopecks per kWh, including VAT. There is information that starting from the new year, possibly from December, we may be able to take 40% Ukrainian electricity and 60% imported, which would lower this tariff,” she noted.
The shopping mall also has four generators with a total capacity of 2 MW, which are sufficient for all consumption except for partial ventilation and air conditioning. As of today, the cost of electricity from a diesel generator is 12.6 UAH per kWh. According to her, even with the projected tariff in December of 11-12 UAH/kWh including VAT for imports, the weighted average tariff will be more favorable than generating energy with diesel generators.
In turn, Natalia Kravets, the Commercial Director of Dragon Capital PM, believes that it makes no sense to connect the company’s facilities in Kyiv (Smart Plaza Obolon, Piramida, Aladdin, “Karavan”) to imports.
“They do not have a dedicated power supply line (a condition for connecting imports - IF-U). To create this separate line, millions need to be invested,” she explained.
She also mentioned that a corresponding agreement for the Victoria Gardens shopping mall has not yet been reached. “In Lviv, no commercial facility has been able to agree with the local energy company on the import of electricity, which is surprising for us. But unfortunately, this is a fact,” she stated.
Budhouse Group has also not yet resolved the issue of connecting the shopping mall Forum in Lviv to electricity imports. Meanwhile, the Lubava shopping mall (Cherkasy) and Nikolsky shopping mall (Kharkiv) are utilizing this resource. According to Maxim Gavryushin, the Operational Director of Budhouse Group, this service increases energy supply costs by 60-65 kopecks compared to Ukrainian sources.
He noted that all Budhouse Group shopping malls are equipped with generators, and this year their capacity has been further increased.
“If there are issues with power supply for a day or two, then there’s no point in switching to imported electricity. Instead, we simply use diesel generators to get through these short periods. However, if we understand that outages or limitations are prolonged, then it makes sense to switch to imported electricity. Fortunately, this is very easy to do, easy to stop, and very easy to restore afterward. You can manage these transitions within two to three days,” Gavryushin reported.
CEO of Port City Group Natalia Antonenko stated that the PortCity shopping mall (Lutsk) consumes 1.5 MW during the winter period. “All of them are completely replaced by generators. And of course, they cannot operate continuously. Imports are a solution for us; we have a separate line. However, today it is more challenging to connect in regional centers than in large cities. Unfortunately, as of today, the local energy company does not give us consent,” Antonenko said.
The General Manager of the Alef Estate commercial center (Dnipro), Angela Borisova, mentioned that their facilities cannot be connected to imports due to the presence of residential areas within their structure.
“We have opted for cogeneration. I really hope that in the spring we will transition to this alternative option,” she stated.