---
title: "Expert: NEURC price caps may again block electricity imports in Ukraine in winter"
description: "Vladimir Omelchenko, Director of Energy Programs at the Razumkov Centre, warned that the current NEURC price caps may again restrict electricity imports from Europe during the winter period if European prices exceed the set ceiling. The expert called on the regulator to change the principle of setting the limits before the cold weather arrives."
date: 2026-09-16T15:02:01.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/neurc-price-caps-may-block-electricity-imports-in-winter
tags: [ukraine-energy, price-caps, electricity-import, nrecu, winter-deficit, european-power-market]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Expert: NEURC price caps may again block electricity imports in Ukraine in winter

![High-voltage transmission tower with insulators against a clear sky — a symbol of Ukraine's power grid and winter electricity imports](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/17/prays-kepy-mogut-blokirovat-import-elektroenergii-zimoj/prays-kepy-mogut-blokirovat-import-elektroenergii-zimoj-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- NEURC price caps may block electricity imports from Europe in winter if European prices exceed the set ceiling
- Vladimir Omelchenko (Razumkov Centre) believes the problem is not the level of the figures but the very principle of setting the limits
- The expert calls on NEURC to act in advance and change the regulatory architecture before the winter season
- Former Ukrenergo head Kudrytskyi and the First Energy Council previously recorded a reduction in imports due to low price caps

Ukraine's energy market once again finds itself at a crossroads: the current system of price limits, so-called price caps, risks becoming a barrier to purchasing electricity from Europe on the eve of the heating season. This was stated by Vladimir Omelchenko, Director of Energy Programs at the Razumkov Centre, in an interview with the YouTube channel «Ukrainsky Tyzhden» (Ukrainian Week), as reported by RBC-Ukraine. In his assessment, if European electricity prices rise above the cap set in Ukraine, regulatory limits will prevent the country from fully using its import capacity precisely at the moment when demand is at its peak.

### «Price caps and price are different things»

Omelchenko emphasises the fundamental difference between the market price and an administratively set ceiling. «A situation may arise in which even these inflated prices, elevated prices — or rather price caps, because price caps and price are different things. Elevated price caps may not help either», the expert notes. Thus, even a formal raising of the cap does not guarantee that the mechanism will work correctly: the problem, in his words, lies in the very principle of setting limits, not in the specific figure.

### Repeating the scenario of past winters

The expert directly points to the cyclical nature of the problem. «We may once again repeat the situation that occurred in previous years, when, amid a large deficit of electricity, we ourselves, through NEURC's meaningless regulatory policy, reduced our ability to obtain electricity when we needed it», Omelchenko stated. This refers to periods when Ukraine's domestic generation potential was exhausted, while regulatory frameworks did not allow operators to flexibly purchase the missing volumes on the European market. The result was an artificial deficit that increased the load on the grid and limited the options for managing outages.

### Call to change the principle, not the numbers

Omelchenko's key proposal is addressed to the National Commission for Regulation of Energy and Public Utilities (NEURC). In his view, the regulator should act in advance: change the very principle of setting price caps before winter arrives, rather than manually adjusting price limits after the problem has already emerged. According to the expert, this approach would prevent a repeat of the scenario in which regulatory decisions are made reactively, under conditions of acute shortage, when there is minimal room for manoeuvre.

### Corroboration of the position: the voice of Ukrenergo and the First Energy Council

Omelchenko's position is not isolated. Previously, the former head of Ukrenergo, Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, noted that artificial price limits on the Ukrainian energy market force the country to systematically underuse electricity imports from Europe. For its part, the First Energy Council recorded that the already low price caps had led to a reduction in import volumes from the EU. The totality of these statements forms a consistent picture: the problem is not a one-off episode, but a structural inadequacy of the regulatory model that fails to account for the dynamics of European prices during periods of peak demand.

### Contradictory data

There is a nuance in the experts' assessments that is important to consider. On the one hand, the logic of «raise the price caps — allow imports» seems intuitively correct and is probably shared by some market participants. On the other hand, Omelchenko explicitly caveats that «elevated price caps may not help», pointing out that the problem is not quantitative but qualitative and institutional in nature. That is, even if the regulator raises the ceiling, as long as the previous principle of setting it is maintained (a rigid tie to domestic benchmarks, the absence of automatic indexation against the European benchmark), the effect may prove insufficient. Thus, there is a significant difference between the thesis «we just need to raise the numbers» and the thesis «we need to change the very architecture of regulation», and it is precisely on this point that the Razumkov Centre expert focuses attention.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Price caps may again hinder electricity imports in winter: expert explains why](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/prays-kepi-mozhut-znovu-zavaditi-importu-1789570698.html) - Первоисточник цитат Омельченко. Все прямые цитаты в статье соответствуют тексту источника.
- [Low price caps have already reduced electricity imports from the EU, - First Energy Council](https://www.unian.net/economics/energetics/nizkie-prays-kepy-uzhe-sokratili-import-elektroenergii-iz-es-pervyy-energeticheskiy-sovet-13351467.html) - Подтверждает факт сокращения импорта из-за низких прайс-кепов. Использовано для контекстного блока.
- [Price caps restrict imports precisely when the country needs electricity most, - expert](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/prays-kepi-obmezhuyut-import-same-todi-koli-1783341881.html) - Первоисточник цитат Омельченко. Все прямые цитаты в статье соответствуют тексту источника.
- [Artificial price limits again curb electricity imports during hours of shortage ...](https://www.obozrevatel.com/ekonomika-glavnaya/iskusstvennyie-tsenovyie-ogranicheniya-vnov-sderzhivayut-import-elektroenergii-v-chasyi-defitsita-kudritskij.htm) - Подтверждает заявление бывшего главы «Укрэнерго» Кудрицкого об искусственных ограничениях.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: What are price caps on the Ukrainian energy market?
**A:** Price caps are administratively set maximum prices for electricity established by the National Commission (NEURC). They determine the maximum level at which operators can purchase or sell electricity, including imports from Europe.

### Q: Why do price caps hinder electricity imports?
**A:** If the market price on the European market exceeds the ceiling set in Ukraine, imports become economically impossible or unprofitable. As a result, the country cannot purchase the missing electricity precisely during periods of shortage, when European prices are typically at their highest.

### Q: What does Vladimir Omelchenko propose?
**A:** Omelchenko calls on NEURC to change the very principle of setting price caps before winter arrives, rather than simply raising the figures manually after problems arise. In his view, the current regulatory architecture is inadequate to the dynamics of European prices.

### Q: Has this situation occurred before?
**A:** Yes. Omelchenko points out that in previous years, amid a significant electricity deficit, Ukraine, due to its own regulatory limits, was unable to fully obtain the necessary volumes from Europe. The First Energy Council also recorded a reduction in imports due to low price caps.