· In total, 30 kilometers of electric cables have been stolen within its concession area, equivalent to 35 tons of copper. The commune of Santiago has been the most affected, with 209 cases registered to date. It is followed by Recoleta, Providencia, Las Condes and Independencia.
· The company warns that this crime has harmed more than 126 thousand customers and calls on the community and authorities to report thefts, avoid accidents, and maintain the quality of electric service for its customers.
Santiago, July 28, 2023 – The theft of electric cables to extract copper is a crime that has progressively increased. Last year, Enel Distribución recorded 759 cases within its concession area in the Metropolitan Region, representing an increase of 314% compared to 2021. In 2023, during the year's first half, it already recorded 413 cases, representing an increase of 17% over the same period in 2022.
In practice, as of June 30, 30,975 conductors were stolen, meaning the company has spent close to $894 million on attending to faults and restoring cables.
"We are concerned about the progressive increase in cable thefts, not only because they affect the quality of the community's electric service, but also because these actions imply a severe risk to people, whether they are neighbors, our employees operating on-site or those committing these crimes. We believe there should be a specific law to prevent the purchase and sale of copper from cable theft to address negative consequences," said Víctor Tavera, Enel Distribución’s General Manager.
During this first semester, 30 kilometers of electric cables were stolen from the distribution network, equivalent to 35 tons of copper. We estimate 126,895 customers have been affected by voltage variations and service interruptions, mainly in the districts of Santiago (209 cases), Recoleta (96 cases), Providencia (32 cases), Las Condes (28 cases) and Independencia (20 cases), all caused by the theft of network conductors, mainly from subway networks.
In addition, tampering with electrical infrastructure can cause discharges endangering technical personnel maintaining distribution networks, the community, and perpetrators. So far this year, two people have died while attempting to commit these crimes.
Network safety protections operate automatically when such situations arise, cutting off the power immediately upon fault detection. However, the high intensity of the electric shock can result in a fatal outcome for those handling cables without the proper knowledge and protection.
Enel Distribución plans to repair, seal and change the covers of medium and low-voltage chambers to prevent or limit illicit acts. Existing measures, such as an electronic access control system to the vaults, complement this.
The company also maintains direct communication with different municipalities and Carabineros de Chile to reduce the impact of this type of crime and participates in a working group with authorities mainly focused on this problem.
From the legal point of view, the company actively investigates this type of crime, providing evidence to identify the perpetrators. During the last 12 months, Enel Distribución has filed 282 criminal complaints related to this illicit, which has allowed it to provide background information that can help in its criminal prosecution. Thanks to this, five convictions have been achieved in the last six months, ranging from 61 days of remitted sentence to cases in which the accused has been sentenced to 541 days of effective imprisonment.
Campaign
Enel Distribución makes a continued call to the community and authorities to report thefts, carrying out dissemination campaigns through its digital communication channels and in mass media outlets informing about risks associated with cable theft, stressing its danger to those who commit it, the technicians who perform maintenance on the distribution network and also residents and the community using the public space. He also calls to report this crime through the Call Center at 600 696 00 00 00.
