KIEV, March 1 – Head of the National Commission of Ukraine for Energy, Housing and Utilities Services Regulation (NCER) Dmytro Vovk forecasts that the so-called social price of gas for households – a discounted price for the first 200 cubic meters of gas consumed by households during the heating season – will be increased by 53%, or UAH 1,900, to UAH 5,500 per 1,000 cubic meters with VAT from April 1, 2016.

"Under a memorandum with the International Monetary Fund, the price should be revised upwards from April 1 to achieve 70% import parity for the population and municipal heating companies… I estimate that as of April 1 the full price (set at UAH 7,188 per 1,000 cubic meters) will slightly slide by up to 10%, and the discounted, 'social' price will go to UAH 5,500 per 1,000 cubic meters with VAT," he told journalists at Adam Smith Conferences' Ukrainian Energy Forum in Kiev on Tuesday.