The management of the largest communal enterprise of the Lutsk community, SCE “Lutskteplo” openly declares that tens of thousands of Lutsk residents may be left without such a service as hot water. Due to the debts of the state and the population and the tariff framework during a full-scale war, the company may have to refuse supplies, at least temporarily.

Although 94% of users pay for heating and hot water on time, the debts of 6% in the city are 186 million hryvnias. This is almost ten times more than they plan to spend this summer on replacing the pipes.

Another 98 million is owed by the state for the difference in heating tariffs. This debt arose because there is a moratorium on raising utility tariffs during the full-scale war. On the other hand, during this time, prices have increased significantly, in particular for fuel and electricity, which makes the current tariff unprofitable by approximately 20%. At the same time, the state has not yet paid compensation for unprofitable tariffs.

We spoke with the director of the enterprise, Ivan Skorupskyi, to understand why the crisis arose.