16.06.2026
The crisis of non-payment of heating and utility companies (TKE) and mass arrests of their accounts pose a systemic threat to the entire electricity market of Ukraine. Ways to prevent debt collapse on the eve of the new heating season became the main topic of a closed expert meeting organized by Energy Club on June 12, 2026.
The focus of the discussion was the consequences of arresting the accounts of TKE companies, the growth of debt to electricity suppliers, the risks of transferring problematic consumers to the supplier of “last resort” and the need to create a protected channel for current payments for electricity.
The meeting was moderated by Iryna Dmytrotsa, advisor to the President of Energy Club, an expert in the development of energy projects and business planning. Representatives of heat generating enterprises, the Ministry of Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine, electricity suppliers and specialized experts joined the dialogue.
The participants in the discussion emphasized that the situation with the arrest of the accounts of heating and power companies can create a chain effect for the entire electricity market. Due to the blocking of accounts, heating and power companies lose the opportunity to make current payments for electricity, distribution and transmission services, as well as to ensure preparation for the new heating season.
According to market participants, the problem is not limited to individual non-payments. This is a systemic risk of accumulating new debt, which may be transferred from district heating companies to electricity suppliers, the supplier of “last resort”, distribution system operators and NPP “Ukrenergo”.
Special attention was paid to the issue of transferring district heating companies to the supplier of “last resort”. The participants of the meeting noted that such a mechanism does not solve the problem of settlements, but only transfers the debt to another segment of the market. In addition, the cost of electricity from the supplier of “last resort” is significantly higher, which may further worsen the financial condition of district heating companies and increase the future tariff burden.
Representatives of district heating companies emphasized that the crisis is systemic in nature. Its foundation is a critical gap between economically justified costs of enterprises and current tariffs, which are frozen by a moratorium.
Key factors of the financial deficit of the district heating company:
This problem is most acute in frontline communities. As the representative of Kramatorskteploenergo noted, for cities located near the combat zone, the stable operation of critical infrastructure is not a matter of commerce, but a matter of survival and national security. Blocking accounts in such conditions directly threatens the passage of the winter period. Local budgets, exhausted by the war and the outflow of consumers, are physically unable to bridge these cash gaps.
The meeting also discussed possible ways to stabilize the situation. Among them are unblocking the accounts of district heating companies, separating current electricity payments from historical gas debts, postponing debt collection within the limits of the unreimbursed difference in tariffs, creating special accounts or protected mechanisms for current settlements, as well as amending the legislation on enforcement proceedings.
Representatives of the Ministry of Community and Territories Development of Ukraine reported that the ministry is working on legislative initiatives that provide for the suspension of enforcement actions against district heating companies in cases where the debt is related to the unreimbursed difference in tariffs. A mechanism for postponing debt payment until the state compensates for the corresponding tariff difference is also being discussed.
Separately, the participants drew attention to the limited capabilities of local budgets. Additional community resources cannot fully cover the needs of heating and power utilities, especially in communities located near combat zones or with significant losses of consumers.
The participants in the discussion also emphasized that any temporary solutions should maintain market incentives for modernization of enterprises, development of cogeneration, energy efficiency and implementation of energy storage systems. The introduction of anti-market mechanisms may discourage enterprises that have already invested and into own generation and optimization of electricity consumption.
Following the results of the meeting, Energy Club will summarize the positions of market participants to prepare a joint appeal to authorities and key stakeholders. The purpose of the appeal is to develop a temporary stabilization mechanism that will allow maintaining the operation of critical infrastructure, ensuring current settlements in the electricity market and preventing the accumulation of a new debt crisis on the eve of the heating season.
Energy Club will continue to create a platform for professional dialogue between energy market participants, authorities, regulators and representatives of critical infrastructure in order to find practical solutions for the stable operation of the energy sector of Ukraine.
