Hotline of power engineering specialists:
Two official points for receiving scrap of ferrous and non-ferrous metals in the town of Staritsa of the Tver region were visited by specialists of IDGC of Centre - Tverenergo division and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in the Tver region within the framework of a joint raid. The event was held within the framework of cooperation between the power grid company and the police, who concluded the Agreement on Interaction a year ago.
The raid was conducted with a view to preventing theft of power equipment belonging to the power grid company. Participants of the on-site inspection conducted inspections of points, examination of scrap metal, which is handed over by local residents. In the course of the raid, there were no electric grid components or electrical parts that were often of interest to offenders.
Meanwhile, intruders, encroaching on the integrity of energy facilities, risking their lives (in Russia, about 14% of the total number of victims in accidents are injured and killed every year in Russia from illegal penetration into electrical installations), violate the stable operation of the power grid complex of the region. The participants of the inspection raid reminded the workers of the scrap metal reception points of the tragic consequences of the theft of power equipment. With the consent of the administration of the points of reception of scrap metal, the power engineers posted warning signs about the inadmissibility of theft of energy equipment and responsibility for such crimes.
The power engineers also explained that ferrous and non-ferrous metal related to electrical installations can by law be accepted only from official representatives of the power grid company. Otherwise, buying a scrap of power equipment from a private person can be qualified as an offense under Art. 175 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation "Acquisition or sale of property that is known to have been obtained through criminal means". The maximum penalty for this article is from two to seven years of imprisonment.
Tverenergo conducts systematic work to protect power facilities from vandals and robbers. We constantly remind people that interference in the operation of a power line or transformer substation is deadly. In addition, theft and spoilage of power equipment can lead to de-energization of thousands of consumers and, most importantly, socially significant facilities. If someone witnessed suspicious activities at substations or power lines, it should immediately be reported to the energy company. Perhaps you will save someone’s life," clarified Sergey Ozerov, deputy head of the security department of IDGC of Centre - Tverenergo division.
