Ukraine plans from May 1, 2014 to increase the price of natural gas for household consumers by an average of 50%.

The director of the department for economic planning and budgetary calculations at NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy, Yuriy Kolbushkin, said at a press conference in Kyiv that the increase will occur as part of a scheme of phased increases of gas prices to an economically justified level for households and heating companies running until 2018.

He also said that it is planned from July 1 to raise tariffs for heating enterprises by 40%.

Kolbushkin said that in this case this concerns raising tariffs for heating companies, but not imposing a 40% increase in natural gas prices on them.

He added that the relevant resolutions of the Cabinet of Ministers should be promulgated in the near future, afterwards prices and tariffs for the population and heating companies would be approved by the National Commission for Energy Regulation and the National Commission for the State Regulation of Housing and Utilities Services.

Naftogaz chairman Andriy Kobolev, in turn, specified that the corresponding increase in gas prices for the population in 2014 has been agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

According to him, even given this increase, 100% payments for the gas supplied by domestic consumers and friendly relations with Gazprom, the company's budget deficit in 2014 is about UAH 80 billion.

In this regard, according to the new Naftogaz head, one of the priorities for the company is to stabilize its financial state and fight against corruption.