From London, Timothy Ash stressed the importance of market prices for a major source of Ukraine’s heat and electricity:

From London, Timothy Ash stressed the importance of market prices for a major source of Ukraine’s heat and electricity: “The move to market-based gas pricing in Ukraine has produced huge wins in recent years – it’s helped slash gas consumption from plus 70 bcm to less than 30 bcm, cutting the energy import bill from $12bn per annum, to perhaps $2-3bn, and also cut the quasi-fiscal deficit by 4-5% of GDP, given the huge subsidies previously given to Naftogaz. That has also cut a huge amount of graft from the system. Estimates had suggested that Ukrainian elites were perhaps creaming off $3bn annually from the gas business.”