Energy Club Calls on NEURC to Support a Solution to the Problem of Fines for Special Equipment

18.07.2025

Energy Club, an association of leading companies in the Ukrainian energy sector, has appealed to the National Energy and Utilities Regulatory Commission (NEURC) to support an initiative to exempt special equipment used for emergency power grid repairs from size and weight control (SWC). A corresponding letter dated July 16, 2025, was sent to the head of the Regulator, Yuriy Vlasenko.

The appeal emphasizes that the current practice of imposing fines on cranes, drilling rigs, and other special vehicles en route to repair damages creates several critical problems:

• It increases the duration of power outages for consumers and critical infrastructure facilities;
• It creates a financial burden on Distribution System Operators (DSOs), which are licensees of NEURC;
• It contradicts the state policy of ensuring the resilience of the energy system, especially under martial law.

Energy Club informed the Regulator that it had already addressed this issue with the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine. However, the response received did not offer a solution, merely stating that the special equipment of energy companies is not included in the list of exceptions provided for in paragraph 22.5 of the Traffic Rules.

Energy Club believes that the work of DSO emergency crews is, in its urgency, analogous to that of other emergency services. Therefore, the most effective solution is to amend the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 1306, specifically by supplementing paragraph 22.5 of the Traffic Rules with an exception for “specialized and/or special-purpose vehicles used by distribution system operators during emergency repair work.”

Appealing to NEURC as the key regulator responsible for the stable functioning of energy markets, Energy Club requests that it:

• Consider this issue at a Commission meeting;
• Express NEURC’s official position on the necessity of the proposed changes;
• Appeal to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and relevant parliamentary committees with a proposal to support the corresponding legislative amendments.

Energy Club has stated its readiness to provide all available analytics, including data from DSOs on the number of fines and delays in power restoration. “We are convinced that through joint efforts, we can solve this problem, which is critically important for the resilience of our country,” the letter concludes.