Energy Club Appeals to Head of Parliamentary Energy Committee to Resolve Fines Issue for Emergency Crews

05.08.2025

The Energy Club has appealed to Andriy Gerus, the Head of the Verkhovna Rada’s Committee on Energy, Housing and Utilities Services, with a call for immediate intervention to resolve a critical problem threatening Ukraine’s energy security. The letter emphasizes the need for a legislative solution to the systematic fining of special equipment used by Distribution System Operators (DSOs) for exceeding size and weight limits during emergency repairs.

This appeal is a logical continuation of a large-scale campaign led by the Energy Club. Systematic work has already been carried out to prove the severity of the problem and to unite the efforts of the entire industry:

• Gathering of an evidence base: The Club initiated the collection of data from all DSOs, obtaining concrete facts that confirm the systemic nature of the obstacles.
• Engaging regulatory and governmental bodies: Official appeals were sent to the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development, the National Energy and Utilities Regulatory Commission (NEURC), and the Ministry of Energy.
• Coordination with regional authorities: The Energy Club has engaged the heads of Regional Military Administrations in dialogue, primarily in frontline regions.

The collected data, which formed the basis of the appeal to the parliamentary committee, reveals an alarming situation. Emergency crews restoring power after enemy attacks paradoxically find themselves as violators due to a loophole in Point 22.5 of the Traffic Rules, which does not grant energy workers the same exemptions as the State Emergency Service (SES).

The specific consequences of this legislative gap include:

• Direct financial losses: JSC “Sumyoblenergo” reported five fines totaling UAH 170,000 imposed on employees who were carrying out urgent repairs. JSC “Cherkasyoblenergo” received a fine of UAH 17,000 for a crane that was building a protective shelter for transformers.
• Critical delays: Obtaining an official permit for the passage of special equipment takes from 10 to 15 working days, which is unacceptable when power needs to be restored immediately for a district with 50,000 people.
• Systemic bureaucratic hurdles: In addition to fines, energy workers face irrelevant requirements for installing tachographs and the incorrect classification of oil tankers, which further slows down their work.

“When energy workers in a frontline territory are forced to choose between a fine for their driver and electricity for a district of 50,000 people, it means the system is broken. We have gathered a powerful evidence base which proves that the problem is systemic and requires an immediate political solution,” emphasized Andriy Kostrytsia, President of the Energy Club.

The position of the entire industry is unified: even those DSOs that are not currently facing the problem acutely fully support the need for legislative changes.

In this regard, the Energy Club asks Andriy Gerus and the committee to:

1. Support the initiative and appeal on behalf of the Committee to the Cabinet of Ministers with a request to urgently introduce the proposed amendments to CMU Resolution No. 1306.
2. Initiate a working meeting with representatives from all involved ministries, agencies, and distribution system operators.
3. Take personal control over the resolution of this issue, which has a direct impact on the stability of Ukraine’s energy system during wartime.

The Energy Club is ready to provide all collected analytics and to actively participate in working groups to resolve this critical problem as quickly as possible.