30.06.2026
Following the results of the expert discussion held on the Energy Club platform, the Club member companies formed and signed a joint appeal on the risks of non-payment of district heating and power companies and the need to introduce a temporary stabilization mechanism for settlements in the electricity market.
The appeal is addressed to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, the National Commission for the Regulation of Energy and Power Generation, the relevant ministries, Ukrenergo NPC, Ukrinterenergo DPZD, Naftogaz Group, the Association of Ukrainian Cities and other involved parties.
The signatories of the appeal emphasize that the problem of arrest or blocking of accounts of individual district heating and power companies due to debts for natural gas can create a new debt chain already in the electricity market. At the same time, electricity suppliers are not a party to the gas debt of the district heating company, but it is they who may actually be the ones to whom the liquidity deficit of the district heating company may be transferred.
The appeal emphasizes that this is not about exempting the district heating company from paying for electricity or about an unconditional moratorium on fulfilling payment obligations. On the contrary, the key goal of the proposed approach is to create a payment regime under which current electricity consumption, distribution and transmission services are paid for in priority order, and historical debt is settled separately and in a controlled manner.
Market participants also note that the mechanical transfer of problematic DH plants to the supplier of “last resort” does not solve the problem, but can only shift the debt burden to DPZD “Ukrinterenergo”, NPC “Ukrenergo”, the balancing market and other bona fide market participants.
Among the proposed solutions are the creation of an interdepartmental coordination group, the formation of a register of problematic DH plants, the introduction of a protected channel of current payments, the development of a framework of stabilization agreements between DH plants, the supplier and the community, targeted mutual settlements, a conditional temporary fuse against disconnection only for critical facilities, and also mandatory assessment of consequences before transferring DH to PON.
Energy Club served as a platform where market representatives and experts were able to discuss the problem, agree on practical proposals and form a common position for communication with authorities. This format allows not only to outline risks, but also to offer a balanced approach that takes into account the interests of critical infrastructure, electricity suppliers, system operators, communities and the electricity market in general.
The joint appeal was signed by:
Energy Club notes that it is ready to continue providing a platform for coordinating positions, finalizing practical solutions and forming an algorithm of actions for district heating companies, electricity suppliers, DSOs/DSOs, PONs, local governments and relevant state authorities.
The expected result of the proposed approach is to prevent the debt problem of the heat supply sector from automatically developing into a new debt crisis in the electricity market, while maintaining the continuous operation of critical infrastructure and payment for current electricity consumption.
