Theft of electrical equipment left more than 50 thousand households in Northeastern Bulgaria without electricity in 2015

Theft of facilities from the electricity distribution network left more than 50 thousand households and business objects without electricity in 2015 in the territory served by ENERGO-PRO. Since the beginning of the year, 33 disconnections of medium-voltage power lines have been registered, as a result of encroachments on objects of the network in the districts of Varna, Veliko Tarnovo, Gabrovo, Ruse and Razgrad. The total length of time people were left without electricity as a result of thefts is over 116 hours.

The facilities that become the object of raids are most often copper and aluminum wires from the air network, electricity meters, various types of transformer systems, from which ill-wishers dismantle parts or drain technical fluids. Among the stolen facilities there are also brand new ones, for which the company has invested funds over the past 2-3 years.

In addition to causing material damage to electricity distribution companies, these acts harm the security and safety of the power supply, create risks to the life and health of many people, leave the company's customers without electricity until the accidents caused by them are eliminated. Theft of a zero wire, for example, leads to the supply of high voltage to people's homes, from which electrical appliances and household appliances are damaged.

“The theft of electrical equipment is causing severe damage to the state of the energy system across the country. From such events, we as consumers lose twice - firstly, because the electricity distribution companies spend funds to compensate for the damage caused by the encroachments instead of investing them in the development of electricity infrastructure and in improving services. Secondly, because any theft means a power outage. But above all, such acts endanger the lives and health of people, “said Nikolay Nikolov, Chairman of the Management Board of ENERGO-PRO Networks.