(The AMCU meeting. PHOTO: amcu.gov.ua)
Odesa heat supply company was fined for abuse of monopoly position. Since February 2022, the company has stopped taking into account the readings of individual meters.
This was reported by the press service of the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine.
On September 16, 2025, the Temporary Administrative Board of the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine recognized the actions of the Odesa heat supply company as a violation of the legislation on the protection of economic competition. The company was fined UAH 7 million and ordered to cease the violation and eliminate its consequences.
As noted by Odesa journalist Iryna Hryb, the company held a monopoly position in Odesa, with a 100% share of the heat supply market from 2022 to 2025, and it had no competitors.
Until February 2022, the company charged for heat supply based on the readings of individual meters installed by consumers. Since February 2022, the company stopped taking these readings into account and began charging according to the method of heat distribution in proportion to the area of the premises without taking into account actual consumption.
During this time, the AMCU received more than 100 complaints from consumers, some of whom went to court. The Committee recognized that the company had abused its monopoly position, which led to the infringement of the interests of consumers who would have received the service on fair terms under competition.
The heat supply company was ordered to eliminate the violations and restore consumer rights within two months.
Last year, on November 3, the Center for Public Investigations published a film "What's Wrong with Heat Supply in Odesa", which analyzed the problems of the municipal enterprise "Heat Supply of Odesa". The investigation emphasizes that one of the key problems of the system is the deterioration of the infrastructure.
The utility company, which directly affects the quality of the heating season in the context of war and shelling, faces a number of systemic problems. Among them are not always effective management and cooperation with dubious companies, including those with a Russian trace.
Анна Бальчінос