--- title: "EBA Reiterates Call on NEURC to Review Price Caps: Business Warns of Risks to EU Imports and New Generation" description: "The European Business Association has once again urged NEURC to review electricity price caps, warning that current price ceilings restrict imports from the EU and the development of new generation." date: 2026-11-03T16:04:51.206Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/eba-urges-neurc-to-review-electricity-price-caps tags: [energy, ukraine, electricity-market, price-caps, eu-integration, nkreku, business-association] author: "Darya Fomina" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # EBA Reiterates Call on NEURC to Review Price Caps: Business Warns of Risks to EU Imports and New Generation ![High-voltage power transmission lines and electrical substations against a clear evening sky](https://xab.info/media/2026/11/03/eba-povtorno-potrebovala-ot-nkreku-peresmotret-price-caps/eba-povtorno-potrebovala-ot-nkreku-peresmotret-price-caps-1.webp) ## Key Points - The EBA reiterated its call for NEURC to review price caps following the publication of a new draft resolution on October 21 - Current price ceilings, according to the Association, restrict commercial electricity imports from the EU during deficit hours - Price caps worsen conditions for the development of gas-piston, gas-turbine, and cogeneration generation and private investment - Revising price policy is critically important for integrating the Ukrainian market with the EU market and implementing market coupling - Volodymyr Omelchenko (Razumkov Centre) confirmed that under current price caps, imports may be commercially unviable, exacerbating the winter deficit The European Business Association (EBA) has once again appealed to the National Energy and Utilities Regulatory Commission (NEURC) with a call to revise the current approach to setting maximum price limits—so-called price caps—on organized electricity market segments. This is reported by RBC-Ukraine with reference to the Association's official statement. The occasion for the new appeal was the publication on October 21, 2026, of a new draft resolution by the regulator concerning price caps in the day-ahead, intraday, and balancing markets. ### Commercial Imports from the EU Under Threat According to experts from the EBA Energy Committee, current price restrictions create a systemic barrier to commercial electricity imports from European Union countries during hours of acute deficit. The Association's appeal explicitly states that price caps 'may constrain the possibilities of commercial imports from the EU to cover the electricity deficit.' In conditions where domestic generation does not fully cover demand, import flows become a critically important balancing tool, while a rigid price ceiling makes them economically unviable for foreign suppliers. ### Blocking the Development of Flexible Generation The second key argument of the EBA concerns the investment climate in the new flexible generation segment. Association experts argue that maintaining current price caps worsens the conditions for the development of gas-piston, gas-turbine, and cogeneration plants, as well as for attracting private investment in new generating capacities. These types of generation typically operate in peak modes and depend on market prices, so artificially limiting the upper tariff boundary reduces their profitability and scares off investors, which in the long run exacerbates the structural deficit. ### Integration with the EU Market and Market Coupling The EBA also emphasizes that revising the regulator's price policy is of strategic importance for the further integration of the Ukrainian electricity market with the European one. In particular, this concerns the introduction of the market coupling mechanism—automated matching of trades on adjacent markets, which implies free pricing and the absence of rigid administrative ceilings. Without adjusting the price caps, full accession to the European price contour remains difficult. ### Expert Context: Winter Deficit as the Main Risk Earlier, the business position was supported by Volodymyr Oмельченко (Omelchenko), Director of Energy Programs at the Razumkov Centre, who stated that under current price caps, electricity imports might be commercially unprofitable for suppliers, and during the winter period, this could further increase capacity shortages. Thus, the issue of revising price restrictions goes beyond a narrow sectoral discussion and becomes a systemic factor affecting the country's energy security in the 2026/2027 heating season. ### What's Next At the time of preparing this material, NEURC has not published an official response to the EBA appeal. The new draft resolution, posted on October 21, is at the stage of public discussion, and it is during this period that the business community is trying to influence the final wording of the document. The regulator's final decision will determine whether the current price restriction model is maintained or a mechanism for their flexible adjustment depending on market conditions and import volumes is established. ## Fact-Check & Sources - [Для покрытия дефицита электроэнергии: бизнес снова призвал НКРЭКУ пересмотреть прайс-кепы](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/pokrittya-defitsitu-elektroenergiyi-biznes-1793721580.html) - The primary source contains a direct statement from the EBA, the publication date of the draft resolution (October 21), a quote from the Association's appeal, and commentary by Volodymyr Omelchenko. All facts in the article correspond to the source text. ## FAQ ### What are price caps in the electricity market? Price caps are administratively established maximum prices for electricity on organized market segments. In this case, NEURC sets the price ceiling for the day-ahead, intraday, and balancing markets. ### Why does the EBA consider price caps a problem for EU imports? According to Association experts, with a rigid price ceiling, electricity imports from the EU during deficit hours become commercially unprofitable for foreign suppliers, limiting import volumes precisely when they are most needed. ### What is the connection between price caps and market coupling? Market coupling is a mechanism for automated trade matching on adjacent energy markets that involves free pricing. Current price caps create discrepancies with the European pricing model and hinder Ukraine's full accession to this mechanism. ### When was the new NEURC draft resolution published? The new draft resolution regarding price caps on the day-ahead, intraday, and balancing markets was published on October 21, 2026.