Hotline of power engineering specialists:
In February, IDGC of Centre — Belgorodenergo division had 28 raids in settlements of the region with the aim of detecting non-contractual electricity consumption to which the connection of power installations to the electricity grid in the absence of a duly signed contract for power supply refers. As a result, 37 of such facts were identified, the amount of unmetered consumption was 615 thousand kWh in excess of 1 million rubles.
Periodic scheduled and unscheduled inspections allow to identify facts of non-contractual and non-metered electricity consumption in manufacturing, administrative and public utility sectors. They are held regularly with the involvement of representatives of law enforcement and local governments.
To determine the most efficient raid route, power engineers analyze factors indicating the presence of theft. With the use of a modern software system 6-10 kV power lines are determined with a maximum level of losses, the actual consumption of each user is compared, depending on the season and number of people living in the household, use data of controllers who during rounds record alleged violations and complaints about the quality of electricity. Given that offenders get more and more creative, experts also use more modern methods of combating theft.
In February, following the results of a raid the list of fraudulent consumers had both natural and legal persons. For example, in Alexeyevsky district a fact of electricity theft by a company in the amount of 279 thousand rubles was discovered. After an application to the police station and magistrates court proceedings in the town of Alekseevka the company’s manager had to pay a fine.
In Yakovlevsky district a consumer himself addressed power engineers to have the operation of his meter to be checked. The results showed that to the metering device was connected to electrical equipment of a store owned by another person. The offender had to compensate the owner of the meter the losses incurred.
In total for 2012 power engineers recorded over one thousand illegal connections to the grid. The total volume of illegal resource consumption reached 14.9 million kWh. To date, 749 facts of non-contractual consumption were charged in the amount of 16,264.000 rubles.
Unauthorized connection to the grid according to article 7.19 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation gives grounds to bring citizens, officials and legal person to administrative responsibility. If there are sufficient grounds a person may be held criminally liable according to article 165 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.