In Novyi Buh, the water utility has accumulated ₴2.3 million in electricity bills

A meeting of the Novyi Buh community council. Photo: Novobuzka community

In Novyi Buh, the municipal enterprise «Water Supply Networks» will be allocated 1.7 million hryvnias in financial support to help settle its electricity debt.

The matter was considered at a meeting of the Novyi Buh City Council’s Budget Committee and approved at the council session, according to NikVesti.

As City Council Secretary Valentyna Ostapenko reported during the committee meeting, the company’s total debt currently stands at 2 million 278 thousand hryvnias. However, the city budget can only allocate 1.7 million hryvnias to the water utility.

Vadym Vysotskyi, head of the «Water Supply Networks» municipal enterprise, explained that at the start of 2026, the water utility’s electricity debt stood at around 3.2 million hryvnias. According to him, the company managed to reduce its debt over the summer thanks to cost-saving measures and its activities on the electricity market.

«At the start of this year, the electricity debt stood at 3.2 million hryvnias. Over the summer, following the tariff increase, the company was able, through cost-saving measures, to pay current bills in advance and make an advance payment of 1 million 20 thousand. This means that, as of today, 2 million 278 thousand remains,» noted the company’s director.

The water utility is therefore requesting 1.7 million in financial assistance to settle the bulk of the debt. According to the head of the company, the company expects to pay a further 400,000 hryvnias itself by mid-September.

The construction of a solar power station for the company was discussed separately. Work is continuing following amendments to the project. According to Vadym Vysotskyi, there are no plans to increase the cost of the work due to these changes.

«Construction is continuing. We’ve made some changes because the Antimonopoly Committee and the State Audit Service wouldn’t allow the contractor to carry out the work until the changes had been fully incorporated into the project, as the ground conditions didn’t quite meet the requirements. They’ve now started work again since Thursday, pouring concrete into the posts,» said the head of the water utility.

The company also expects further cost savings thanks to infrastructure projects that have already been implemented. In particular, the new water main, built last year, has enabled savings of around 50,000 hryvnias per month. In addition, electricity consumption has fallen by approximately 30,000 kW per month.

According to the company’s director, if the planned work to install the power station is successfully completed, from next spring in Novyi Buh they plan to extend the hours of water supply to residents — roughly from 6.00 am to 9.00 pm.

The issue of approving the financial support programme for the «Water Supply Networks» municipal enterprise was considered at the session without discussion.

It was previously reported that Novyi Buh would spend a further 9.8 million hryvnias on the installation of solar power stations. This time, the work is scheduled to take place on the premises of the water utility’s pumping station.

It should be recalled that at the end of June, councillors of the Novyi Buh City Council approved the allocation of over 2 million hryvnias for work to connect solar panels. In total, the community’s 2026 budget allocates 15.3 million hryvnias to support the municipal enterprise «Water Supply Networks».

Previously, the Novyi Buh community signed a memorandum with UNICEF and secured approximately 19 million hryvnias in international aid. The funds were channelled towards modernising the water supply networks, replacing pipes and designing a solar power station.

It should be noted that at the end of June, members of the Novyi Buh City Council approved the allocation of over 2 million hryvnias for work on installing solar panels. In total, the community’s budget for 2026 allocates 15.3 million hryvnias to support the «Water Supply Networks» municipal enterprise.

Previously, the Novyi Buh community signed a memorandum with UNICEF and secured around 19 million hryvnias in international aid. The funds were allocated for the modernisation of water supply networks, the replacement of pipes and the design of a solar power station.