Naturgy Panama Continues To Intensify Efforts To Combat Electricity Fraud
Date
8/3/2024 11:27:18 PM
(MENAFN- Newsroom Panama)
In 2024,
Naturgy Panama is continuing to intensify its efforts to combat electricity fraud, where regular people will grab a ladder and hook up their house to electricity, bypassing an electrical meter and payments to Naturgy.
Naturgy has managed to recover 93.8 GWh of energy (i.e. 93,800,000 kWh), a volume equivalent to the consumption of approximately 50,000 homes or equivalent to 16 million dollars, which should easily cover the fines that the Panama government levied recently.
If you follow X, you may have seen some disagreements between Martinelli and Mulino where Martinelli said "It is an illusion to think that fining the electric companies millions of dollars, for whatever reason, that fine will really be paid by them. It will be paid by the clients or users of the service, that is, all of us, with higher prices, surcharges, etc." Mulino said "These fines are for non-compliance and I authorized them. I am honestly working to comply with the whole country."
Martinelli ended the conversation by saying "I 100% support the work of President Mulino's government and the changes made.
"This effort by Naturgy to catch electricity thieves, is the result of more than 170,000 interventions carried out in the provinces of Panama, Panama West, Coclé, Veraguas, Herrera, Los Santos, Chiriquí and Bocas del Toro during 2023-24.
One of the main objectives of the fight against electricity fraud is to prevent the risks that these illegal connections pose to people's safety, as well as to reduce the economic impact that these frauds generate.
Recovery actions focused on identifying and dismantling illegal connections and manipulated meters, with 40 thousand irregularities detected, the majority in Western Panama (15,400). Additionally, this sector of the country concentrates the largest number of illegal connections in informal settlements, which represent losses of more than 26,000,000 kWh annually.
Electrical fraud not only has a significant economic impact, with losses estimated at more than $50 million annually, but also puts public safety at risk. Illegal connections increase the risk of short circuits, voltage fluctuations, electrocutions and fires, affecting the quality of the electricity supply and the safety of the community at large.
Naturgy Panama
is implementing a comprehensive plan to detect and disconnect fraudulent connections, known as“spider webs.” With the support of the National Police, the company carries out periodic operations to eliminate these dangerous connections and offers these users the possibility of regularizing their situation and having their consumption measured like the rest of the customers.
Tampering with electrical installations is classified as a crime in the Penal Code of Panama.
Naturgy Panama
reminds citizens that they can report any irregularities through its website, call center, customer service offices, virtual office and the Naturgy App.
MENAFN03082024000218011062ID1108514019
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.