Angra is among the five cities in the ranking of energy theft | Angra dos Reis – Rio de Janeiro

Costa Verde – The municipality of Angra dos Reis, on the Costa Verde, is among the five in the state in the ranking of electricity theft. In total, over 320,000 inspections were carried out on the electricity network in the company’s concession area, 11,000 cases in the largest city on the Costa Verde, more than 200 detainees and 403 police reports registered.

The municipality of Magé leads the list, with almost 56 thousand occurrences and a rate of 41.6% of energy losses. São Gonçalo comes next, with 35 thousand incidents and 38.4% of losses, and Angra dos Reis with 11 thousand records (23%). According to Enel, 170 thousand cases of energy theft were recorded and more than 396 million kWh of energy recovered. Enough to supply approximately 167,000 homes for one year with an average monthly consumption of 19 kWh.

The company states that it has increasingly intensified the fight against energy theft, popularly known as “gato”, with awareness actions, as occurred in Mangaratiba, last week.
In the report released by the company, last year, the distributor carried out around 320 thousand inspections in its concession area, and also carried out 23 thousand meter modernization operations, with the installation of intelligent systems with remote communication. In partnership with the police authorities, 403 police reports were drawn up with the Civil Police, with 209 people detained.

Energy theft is a crime

The concessionaire warns that fraud and theft are crimes covered by the Penal Code, and the penalty can vary from one to eight years in prison. In addition, the distributor also charges those who committed fraud retroactive amounts for the period in which the irregularity occurred, plus a fine. “Both the people who physically carry out the fraud on the premises and the account holders commit crimes.”

In addition to crime, fraud and theft contribute to lowering the quality of the service provided, which harms all consumers, with a greater number of interruptions and, sometimes, making it difficult to restore electricity. Illegal connections overload networks, leaving the distribution system more susceptible to interruptions in energy supply. According to company estimates, if there were no energy theft, tariffs for all Enel Rio customers could be reduced by around 5%.

“Anyone who adopts the practice popularly known as “gato” puts their own lives and those of the population at risk. Unqualified people who try to manipulate the energy meter or make a direct connection to the electrical network run the risk of shock and serious accidents, which can be fatal.” Enel has also intensified guidance to its customers about the risks and dangers of the electricity grid, through an advertising campaign, informative materials, publicity on energy bills, websites, among other actions.

To report energy theft, simply access the Enel Rio app or call 0800 280 0120. It is not necessary to identify yourself.