Endesa, through its e-distribution network subsidiary, has detected 536 electrical frauds in the first six months of the year in the Canary Islands, which is equivalent to an average of almost ten cases per week, the company reports.
By province, the highest number of frauds in this period was detected in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, with 330 and defrauded energy of more than 2.7 million kilowatts.
The municipalities with the most irregular situations discovered are Santa Cruz de Tenerife, with 57 cases; Arona, with 52; La Laguna, with 38; and Adeje, with 23, all of them in Tenerife.
In the province of Las Palmas, the total number of cases detected in the first semester of the year amounted to 206, with 2.3 million kilowatts of defrauded energy.
By eastern municipalities, the one with the highest number of cases was Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, with 49; followed by Puerto del Rosario (Fuerteventura), with 27; and Arrecife (Lanzarote), with 21.
Nationally, between January and June, Endesa detected more than 32,000 electrical frauds, which is equivalent to an average of more than 175 cases per day or more than seven per hour, with electricity consumption equivalent to that of almost 117,000 homes.
The manipulation of electrical installations to commit fraud is, according to the National Commission of Markets and Competition (CNMC), a growing problem in recent times that harms all consumers and generates risks for citizen security.
Behind electrical fraud "there is an evident risk of electrocution and fire that can affect not only the person who manipulates the installations, but also the people around them," Endesa says in a statement.
In recent years, there have been very serious events that have caused injuries and even deaths due to the alteration of electrical installations for the theft of electricity.
Electrical fraud also implies an economic cost for all consumers through the bill, and also has very harmful effects on the quality of the electricity supply.
