A total of 1,275 cases of illegal interventions by various individuals in energy installations were identified last year in the 20 counties in the operational area of the distribution company Delgaz Grid, most of them aimed at stealing electricity, but there were also several hundred situations in which the intended purpose was to steal natural gas.
In the counties of Iași, Botoșani, Vaslui, Suceava, Neamț and Bacău, over 780 individuals were detected who modified electrical installations to avoid recording actual consumption. In contrast, in almost 500 other cases, recorded mainly in counties in Transylvania, Banat but also Moldova, the target of unauthorized interventions was natural gas installations.
In total, over 23 million kWh were stolen last year (over 11 million kWh of natural gas and over 12 million kWh of electricity), and the resulting damage exceeds 20.5 million lei. The amount of stolen energy is equivalent to the annual natural gas consumption of three municipal hospitals, respectively the annual electricity consumption of five municipal hospitals which, together, serve approximately 300,000 inhabitants.
Real risks: explosions, fires and electrocutions
Delgaz Grid recalls that unauthorized interventions in connections or the creation of clandestine installations can lead to explosions, poisoning, fires or electrocutions – potentially devastating incidents, which can cause loss of human life and the destruction of homes.
The potential savings obtained by avoiding the recording of consumption do not justify such risks in any way, especially when we are talking about affecting people’s health or lives.
Fraudulent consumption affects not only the distribution operator, but also legitimate consumers, influencing the quality of the energy supply service and generating risks in the community.
Fraudulent consumption is a form of theft and is punishable under the Penal Code. In order to identify the responsible persons and recover damages, Delgaz Grid formulates and submits criminal complaints to the competent institutions.
Reports play a decisive role in protecting communities. All notifications are verified while respecting the confidentiality of the identity of the person submitting them.