Hotline of power engineering specialists:
IDGC of Centre - Lipetskenergo division summarized the flow of electrical energy in the grid of the branch, net supply and technological electric energy consumption at its transmission over the grid.
During the first half of 2014 the grid of the branch received 3.75 billion kWh of electric energy. The net electricity supply was 3.4 billion kWh. Technological electric energy consumption for its transmission over the grid of Lipetskenergo compared with the same period fell by 0.15% to 9.39% of the electricity supply to the grid, or 352.5 million kWh.
The reduced technological consumption is the result of technical and organizational measures performed in Lipetskenergo under the program for energy efficiency. Among them there is retrofitting of electric grid facilities, optimization of operation modes of substations, upgrading and implementation of electricity metering systems, as well as raids on the facts of non-metered and non-contractual electricity consumption.
So for 6 months of the current year the power engineers of the branch installed and replaced 1,408 metering devices. They conducted 145 raids, which resulted in 1,526 acts of non-metered electricity consumption made up in the amount of 8.8 million KWh. Among the identified violations there are cases to interfere with the operation of meters, as well as the actions of consumers, leading to a distortion of the data on the actual volume of electricity consumption - short circuits, hidden lead-ins, connection of the load bypassing the meter and others.
The largest number of cases of non-metered electricity consumption was recorded in the garden and country houses. And if earlier to establish the causes of losses in suburban settlements was not an easy task, in the past few years, due to the tightening of legislation in this matter, the situation has changed dramatically. Creation of automated electricity metering systems within the gardening companies provide permanent transparent monitoring of the flow rate and power consumption, allowing a high degree of accuracy to identify and eliminate energy losses, monitor the condition of 0.4 kV distribution networks.
"Theft of electricity increases the cost of services of power companies, these costs are eventually offset by the increase in tariffs. It turns out that the burden of other people's bills goes to law-abiding consumers. In addition, due to the theft of electricity consumers also suffer from poor quality of power supply, not to mention the fact that the attempts of illegal connections threaten with serious injuries and even fatalities, both for thieves, and for uninvolved citizens, including children. So the electricity theft is a problem not only for grid operators, but our entire society and it should be addressed together, and above all, with indifferent, intolerant attitude to such offenses. Informing the grid company about known to them facts of electricity theft, honest consumers reduce their costs by providing a direct impact on the rate," commented the head of electricity metering of Lipetskenergo Evgeniy Svintsov.