Hotline of power engineering specialists:
The branch “Rosseti Centre Voronezhenergo” summed up the implementation of measures to identify and suppress non-metered and non-contractual electricity consumption in 2019.
During raids, as well as unscheduled inspections conducted throughout the past year by personnel of Distribution Zones, specialists of the electricity metering department, as well as employees of Voronezhenergo’s security unit, 1,601 facts of illegal consumption of electric energy of about 11.76 million kWh were revealed. The amount of damage caused to the branch exceeded 28.8 million rubles.
Most of the identified violations were committed by individuals: in 2019 citizens accounted for 1,310 facts of theft of electricity with a total volume of more than 5.8 million kWh. In turn, legal entities “took by volumes” - 291 cases of non-contractual and non-metered consumption of more than 5.96 million kWh were revealed with unscrupulous entrepreneurs and organizations.
In all cases of “energy theft”, acts were drawn up according to which violators are obliged to compensate the damage to the grid enterprise. In case of refusal of voluntary compensation, the case is sent to courts, by the decision of which the debt is recovered with the charge on guilty persons of all legal expenses.
Specialists of Rosseti Centre Voronezhenergo remind that the legislation of the Russian Federation provides for the most severe punishment in relation to persons illegally consuming electricity. In case of theft, the violator not only compensates for the damage caused to the electric grid company, but is also held criminally or administratively liable with a fine. On 9 June 2019, amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation entered into force, according to which fines for double unauthorized connection to electric grids and for repeated unauthorized (non-metered) energy consumption doubled. Now in such cases, violators - individuals will be required to pay from 15 to 30 thousand rubles, legal entities - from 200 to 300 thousand rubles. Officials can be removed from their activity for a period of two to three years, and a fine from 80 to 200 thousand rubles can be also imposed on them.
The power engineers draw the attention of residents of the region to the fact that energy theft is one of the main causes of voltage surges and power outages, and thus violates the rights of bona fide consumers. You can report facts of electricity theft, illegal connection to electricity grids by the round-the-clock telephone of the Contact Centre: 8-800-50-50-115 (the call is anonymous and toll-free).
