In 2023, cases reached 16.9% of energy theft records, the highest rate since 2008
Abradee (Brazilian Association of Electricity Distributors) is launching another national safety campaign this month to prevent accidents involving the electricity grid. In 2023, these accidents accounted for 16.9% of energy theft records, the highest rate since 2008.
The well-known “cats” caused 41 accidents last year, with the death of 25 people. Another worrying fact regarding 2023 concerns the theft of drivers or equipment, which, throughout the year, recorded 35 incidents, resulting in 21 deaths.
The president of Abradee, Marcos Madureira, said that in terms of comparison, energy theft today in Brazil would represent, “If we were to build a hydroelectric plant to supply energy theft, the second in Brazil, it would only be smaller than Itaipu. It is as if you had two Santo Antônio plants, which is located on the Madeira River, the fourth plant in the country just to supply this energy theft.”he explained.
Madureira stated that the first impact is the increase in electricity bills for other Brazilians and also a greater risk of accidents in the states. In addition, “when you do not have control over the load that is being distributed, people will connect electrical devices to this stolen load and cause damage to the system. You have no control over the energy that is being used and this ends up compromising the service to other consumers,” he added.
The president of Abradee also said that electricity theft in the country is directly related to the number of accidents. If we look today, for example, at fatal accidents due to theft of electricity and electrical cables, they currently represent the second largest cause of death.
“This campaign that we are launching in August, at a national level, to prevent accidents involving the electrical grid, aims to raise awareness among the population about the risk of energy theft. The population must be aware of this and report any potential energy theft to the authorities, so that appropriate action can be taken to prevent this type of crime.”observed Madureira.
States
The states of Amazonas, Amapá, Rio de Janeiro, Pará and Rondônia lead the rates of energy theft, with the North region accounting for 46.2% of the losses. This amount would be enough to supply 14 Brazilian states, including Amapá, Acre and Roraima.
With information from Brazil Agency.
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