UFD, the electricity distributor of the Naturgy group, significantly increased in 2023 the amount of energy recovered through the prosecution of electricity fraud in its network. Through a total of 44,000 actions spread between Galicia, Madrid, Castilla-La Mancha and Castilla y León, the company managed to recover fraudulently consumed energy last year for a volume of 152 GWh, 44% more than the previous year. This amount, equivalent to the consumption of 47,000 households, illustrates its commitment to the prosecution of this growing criminal practice.
UFD’s actions resulted in the opening of more than 12,400 fraud cases in all the regions in which it operates, almost double the figure for the previous year. Madrid registered the highest number of cases with a total of 6,450 files, followed by Galicia (3,000), Castilla-La Mancha (2,750) and Castilla y León (250).
These actions also made it possible to intercept and recover the electricity fraudulently consumed by 168 indoor devices, the vast majority of which were linked to marijuana plantations. These installations illegally consumed an annual amount of 5 GWh, equivalent to the energy demand of about 1,600 homes.
UFD’s objective in its fight against fraud is to prevent the risk posed by illegal connections to people’s safety and to reduce the cost to the electricity system borne by other customers through their bills. According to some estimates, this cost could be in the region of €2 billion per year.
Such illegal actions can cause fires and other accidents, and put at risk both the person who carries them out and those who live with them and their neighbours. The company is therefore immersed in a plan to detect and disconnect fraudulent connections and meter manipulation in all the areas it operates in.
Electricity fraud: a drain on consumer bills
Electricity fraud represents an economic loss for the electricity system, since under current regulations the cost of the defrauded energy ends up being borne by all users legally connected to the grid.
“The increase in fraud is a huge social problem with a wide range of consequences. In addition to posing a serious risk to the people who practise it and their neighbours, grid hook-ups weaken the quality of electricity supply for all consumers and end up costing the entire electricity system, which is why at UFD we are committed to the fight to detect and eradicate them,” explains Mónica Puente, director of UFD.
Fraudulent connections to the UFD network grew by 28% between 2008 and 2013, following the onset of the economic crisis, and since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, this practice has increased at an even higher rate than in the aforementioned period.
Irregular manipulation of electrical installations is an offence under Article 255 of the Penal Code. The legislation establishes that distribution companies have the role of detecting and informing the authorities and customers of situations of fraud in the grid and in metering equipment, and empowers them to interrupt supply when they detect anomalous situations.
UFD provides consumers with an anonymous complaint channel on its website https://www.ufd.es/denuncia-de-irregularidades/ to receive information about any suspicion of illegal connection to the electricity grid or meter tampering.
UFD in figures
UFD is present in Madrid, Galicia, Castilla y León and Castilla-La Mancha, where it is the largest electricity distributor. It currently serves almost 3.8 million supply points with a network of 116,000 kilometres of high, medium and low voltage lines, maintaining and operating the networks with a commitment to ensuring service under conditions of efficiency, safety and quality.
Naturgy’s electricity distributor maintains a strong commitment to society and the economic development of the regions where it operates by making a significant contribution to the regional economy. It considers sustainability and the environment fundamental cornerstones for creating economic, environmental and social value in the short and long term.