Sienkevych: Water rates for Mykolaiv residents do not cover the operating costs of the water utility
- News of Mykolaiv
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- Alona Kokhanchuk
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17:02, 13 January, 2026
Oleksandr Sienkevych during his report on activities in 2025. Photo: NikVestiMykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych stated that the current water tariff for the population does not cover the operating costs of the Mykolaivvodokanal municipal enterprise and does not allow the enterprise to function and develop fully.
He made this statement during his report on the company's activities over the year, responding to a question about the need to raise tariffs after the launch of a new water pipeline, according to NikVesti.
According to the mayor, the tariff for the company is set by the National Energy and Utilities Regulatory Commission, and more than half of its structure consists of energy costs. At the same time, since 2021, prices for electricity, fuel and other resources have increased significantly.
«Mykolaivvodokanal needs 750 million hryvnias to survive next year. We have allocated 80% of this amount in Mykolaiv's priority budget. This means that the funds will simply be used to ensure water supply. This is not a development project. Should this be the case? Of course not. The tariff at the enterprise must, at a minimum, cover its operating activities. We are not talking about capital expenditures or construction,» said the mayor.
He recalled that the NEURC recently approved new tariffs for enterprises, institutions and organisations — for water supply and sanitation, they amount to 90 hryvnias 216 kopecks. According to Oleksandr Sienkevych, this indicates that the regulator recognises that the current tariff does not meet the real needs of the water utility. At the same time, tariffs for the population remain unchanged.
«Raising the water tariff for commercial consumers will reduce budget expenditures. The introduction of new technologies and the launch of a new power plant will further reduce consumption,» the mayor is confident.
Separately, the city council plans to introduce KPIs for the supervisory board and management of the water utility in order to reduce its maintenance costs.
«We are setting a goal and discussing KPIs for the supervisory board and the director in order to reduce the company's maintenance costs by up to 20%. I think this is possible if we try hard enough,» concluded Oleksandr Sienkevych.
Earlier it was reported that after the launch of new treatment facilities, the water tariff for Mykolaiv could be up to 100 hryvnias per cubic metre. However, during martial law, it is prohibited to increase it for the population.
Currently, Mykolaiv has a tariff that was set back in January 2022. It is 34.044 hryvnias per cubic metre of water: 17.532 hryvnias for water supply and 16.512 hryvnias for water disposal.
Serhii Sukhomlyn, head of the State Agency for Reconstruction, says that "the cost of water itself will be lower from next year, when solar power plants start operating." According to him, the cost of water will also be reduced by frequency converters and an automated operating system.
As a reminder, new water treatment facilities for centralized water supply in Mykolaiv are being built with funds saved during the construction of a new water pipeline. Treated water is promised to be launched in January, but the water treatment facilities will be fully operational in March 2026.
This material was created within the framework of the project «Supporting the Sustainability of Ukrainian Media», which is implemented by the international organization Internews with financial support from Sweden. The content of the material is the sole responsibility of the NGO «Mykolaiv Media Hub» and does not necessarily reflect the official position of Sweden or Internews.