Stealing Power - will they start enforce the laws?

[windeguy]

Stealing electricity is "something intangible"

From the above news story on the first arrest ever in the DR of someone stealing power:

Electrical System Assistant prosecutor Mois?s Ferrer called the case unprecedented, since temporary incarceration had only been previously ordered for cable theft and the installment and use of fraudulent systems, but not for connecting to the grid to steal energy. ?That?s something intangible.?


While Ferrer's comment about stealing power being intangible may have some merit, the law against stealing power is indeed tangible.

 

[PICHARDO]

Who is the thief really,,,those who have been allowed to steal for many years or the Edesur who double charge the law obiding ones like me, who always pay-then out of the blue my bill doubles..

Hard to prosecute a thief, when you are a thief yourself.

The prosecution on theft is not only going to be one way, the power companies will be held accountable for power disruptions that have "0" to do with technical or natural hazard problems. That's to say that citizens can and will be able to make their claims via the courts against suspected fraud billing from that part.

To get the supplier/biller out of the excuse of non-payers and theft of cables, the DR is moving ahead with prosecution of violators and on the second front, inspection and control of "chatarra" exporters, which were the main cause why the theft of hardware was so high in the first place.

By no means will this take place overnight!!!!! They can't arrest all and just rush to court. They're setting the first grounds to find the limits allowed within the Law and courts interpretation of it. Next is a challenge to the industrial and business sector, which are engage in theft of services; that?s where the real fight begins in court, where well paid attorneys are used as ammunition on defense.

The power companies already have received exonerations to change the grid's power cables for shielded ones. This will make theft of service harder and concealment about impossible, as the shielded cables are setup to indicate lacerations or cuts in the shielded area with sensors.

For those that don't know, a low pulsating power is send intermittent on several strands of conductive material, which the shielded cable is looped around with. Once one or several of the strands become disconnected, as in cut into, the intermittent signal stops and is perceived by the sensor placed on each quadrant. Once the alarm goes one, a team is sent with police escort to the quadrant and inspects visually the power cable first, looking fro obvious taps. If visual spotting fails, the team is equipped with a mobile pinger, with a detector. They send pings on a unique frequency, and carry out feeds from the power line at equal distances. Once they identify the exact span where the break occurred, they use a system that I won't detail to identify the home with the illegal hook-up to authorities with them.

 

[Brugalogy32]

If you find someone stealing your electricity trace the wire. Then beat all the occupants (minus the children) of the house which is stealing your power. Take their Brugal or Barcelo back to your house and drink it while you watch an electrcian clip their wires.

 

[waytogo]

If you find someone stealing your electricity trace the wire. Then beat all the occupants (minus the children) of the house which is stealing your power. Take their Brugal or Barcelo back to your house and drink it while you watch an electrcian clip their wires.

Impressive first post......Why not the children, wouldn't they deserve a beating as well for watching cartoons on the tv.

 

[windeguy]

Understood that this won't happen overnight. I expect it to take years.

Replacing current transmission lines with shielded cables containing sensor wires will be a huge job in itself.

Anyone seeing more about this topic of the government enforcing the laws, please post it. Thanks.

 

[J D Sauser]

Incidentally, I just happen to have had a jolly little conversation with my homemaker, a friendly, lovely Dominican lady who calls herself Christian and wouldn't touch a cent or a million in my home.
BUT... she's always been, not "stealing"... just not "paying" for electricity.
Now they cut her and 98% of her neighbors off so badly, they can't seem to find anything to hook on to. So, as today I paid her la quinzena she happily declared that she was going to "sacar HOY un contrato por primera vez en mi vida, jajajaja...". So we discussed the "issue" and it became evident to me;

• that she does NOT know where electricity comes from, and thus does NOT really understand why we'd have to pay for it,
• that she does NOT consider it "stealing", after all, they were only hooking up to existing wires and not taking them home to sell the copper or anything.
• that thus, she could happily feel Christian AND "not really steal" electricity.
• that she feel offended, because she's had electricity free for all her life, and that after all, she would never have... you know the word, besides she never hooked up directly, but got hers from a home next door (which hooked up illegally) and that they never paid either and now "they've" taken it "AWAY" (Edenorte now STOLE) their electricity.

Again, it's education.

A couple of months ago... if it hasn't been a year by now... I had a similar discussion with "my" 9 year old girls. Again, they've been cut off at home. They had a meter for a year after having hooked up left and right to whom ever had some power. Well, they still cannot believe that magically they get cut off after NOT paying their 500 Peso monthly bill. They too, feel ROBBED.
So, I tried to explain to "my" girls, that electricity is being MADE and that it takes expensive machines and PEOPLE WORKING to make it. I drove'em right on by the Haina power plant at the POP Malecon West end and we went to the main entry right next to the port offices. It was 5 or 6PM and luckily, workers came swarming out from a shift change. I pointed them out and told "my" girls that if you don't pay for your electricity, THEY won't get paid and who would work for free? Their eyes got THAT big... they got the picture and now it's the 9 year old's which insist that the electricity is being paid.

Again and again, it's education.

... J-D.

 

[sweetdbt]

Incidentally, I just happen to have had a jolly little conversation with my homemaker, a friendly, lovely Dominican lady who calls herself Christian and wouldn't touch a cent or a million in my home.
BUT... she's always been, not "stealing"... just not "paying" for electricity.
Now they cut her and 98% of her neighbors off so badly, they can't seem to find anything to hook on to. So, as today I paid her la quinzena she happily declared that she was going to "sacar HOY un contrato por primera vez en mi vida, jajajaja...". So we discussed the "issue" and it became evident to me;

• that she does NOT know where electricity comes from, and thus does NOT really understand why we'd have to pay for it,
• that she does NOT consider it "stealing", after all, they were only hooking up to existing wires and not taking them home to sell the copper or anything.
• that thus, she could happily feel Christian AND "not really steal" electricity.
• that she feel offended, because she's had electricity free for all her life, and that after all, she would never have... you know the word, besides she never hooked up directly, but got hers from a home next door (which hooked up illegally) and that they never paid either and now "they've" taken it "AWAY" (Edenorte now STOLE) their electricity.

Again, it's education.

A couple of months ago... if it hasn't been a year by now... I had a similar discussion with "my" 9 year old girls. Again, they've been cut off at home. They had a meter for a year after having hooked up left and right to whom ever had some power. Well, they still cannot believe that magically they get cut off after NOT paying their 500 Peso monthly bill. They too, feel ROBBED.
So, I tried to explain to "my" girls, that electricity is being MADE and that it takes expensive machines and PEOPLE WORKING to make it. I drove'em right on by the Haina power plant at the POP Malecon West end and we went to the main entry right next to the port offices. It was 5 or 6PM and luckily, workers came swarming out from a shift change. I pointed them out and told "my" girls that if you don't pay for your electricity, THEY won't get paid and who would work for free? Their eyes got THAT big... they got the picture and now it's the 9 year old's which insist that the electricity is being paid.

Again and again, it's education.

... J-D.

Great work JD!

 

[windeguy]

Baby steps. Excellent Electrical Education work JD.

 

[Expat13]

The prosecution on theft is not only going to be one way, the power companies will be held accountable for power disruptions that have "0" to do with technical or natural hazard problems. That's to say that citizens can and will be able to make their claims via the courts against suspected fraud billing from that part.

To get the supplier/biller out of the excuse of non-payers and theft of cables, the DR is moving ahead with prosecution of violators and on the second front, inspection and control of "chatarra" exporters, which were the main cause why the theft of hardware was so high in the first place.

By no means will this take place overnight!!!!! They can't arrest all and just rush to court. They're setting the first grounds to find the limits allowed within the Law and courts interpretation of it. Next is a challenge to the industrial and business sector, which are engage in theft of services; that?s where the real fight begins in court, where well paid attorneys are used as ammunition on defense.

The power companies already have received exonerations to change the grid's power cables for shielded ones. This will make theft of service harder and concealment about impossible, as the shielded cables are setup to indicate lacerations or cuts in the shielded area with sensors.

For those that don't know, a low pulsating power is send intermittent on several strands of conductive material, which the shielded cable is looped around with. Once one or several of the strands become disconnected, as in cut into, the intermittent signal stops and is perceived by the sensor placed on each quadrant. Once the alarm goes one, a team is sent with police escort to the quadrant and inspects visually the power cable first, looking fro obvious taps. If visual spotting fails, the team is equipped with a mobile pinger, with a detector. They send pings on a unique frequency, and carry out feeds from the power line at equal distances. Once they identify the exact span where the break occurred, they use a system that I won't detail to identify the home with the illegal hook-up to authorities with them.

I hear you Pichardo, and agree it wont happen overnight-BUT why, and how does this explain why my Edesur bills are double after 7 months of consistancy..We argued to have someone investigate on grounds of possible theft-they say they will but never have. When we further press the issue, they say the electricity bill is not in our name(i am a rental tennant with a landlord living in Spain). Worse yet, when speaking to landlord, he never changed the edesur into his name either, from previous apartment purchase dating back years!!!why? apparently the transfer is expensive and nobody cares...
So again, the honest bill paying gringo must pay the extra, just like my car fuel bills, which are double than anywhere in the world as well..
There was a time it was cheaper to live in Latin America than Canada or USA, but those days are long gone, in SD anyway. Everything seems to cost more here. Now i see why so many want to move north.
Sorry for the vent-just a little frustrated!

 

[Brugalogy32]

Nah, no kids....

 

[windeguy]

A Mastery of the Obvious

How to solve the power problem

World Bank assistant regional manager in the Dominican Republic, Roby Senderowitsch says that "the strange thing in a country is not that it has energy problems; it is that they can't solve them". The official said that other countries have had similar or worse energy problems and have managed to improve the situation. He said that the issues could be solved, and the key is that once the plan is in place, the course must be followed. He said it was not a question of "being or not being a businessman; it is a question of transparency and responsibility and to stay the course".

 

[PICHARDO]

Santo Domingo-The Executive Vice President of the Dominican Corporation of State electrical enterprises (CDEEE), Celso Marranzini, today unveiled that it was discovered an electric fraud in a large business in Santo Domingo East of four million pesos a month, with which stolen energy also benefited the Santo Domingo East City Hall, several residences and a gas station.


By details given by Marranzini the business has been identified as "Templastisa", located on Mella street in East Santo Domingo, which was said stole energy equivalent to the supply for around 300 houses worth.
He detailed that the Enterprise consumed about 125 kW, sufficient to supply between 200 to 300 dwellings.

The Vice President of the CDEEE announced that they'll face fraud charges and will apply the entire weight of the law to the owner of the company.

Marranzini revealed the information while he provided details of a meeting that was held about the electricity sector with President Leonel Fernandez, where officials from his area rendered a report to the President of the advances in the sector.

The official warned that anyone found to be incurring irregularities will be punished to the fullest extent of the law and called on people to abandon the practice.
In the meeting, said the subject of review on subsidies was left for a later meeting that will be on the first week of May.
He provide details of the operation of the electric distribution companies, explained the Edes have improved energy payment collections.



Source: Econom?a & Negocios - CDEEE descubre fraude el?ctrico en empresa que beneficiaba ayuntamiento SDE and Reporte de Prensa del Despacho de la Presidencia de La Republica Dominicana.

 

[PICHARDO]

Well... A regular Joe was sent to jail and fined, a middle class homeowner, a renter, a high class homeowner, a small biz, a medium biz and now a large enterprise...

I guess the trial period is about to close in for all those in the "taking"...

Warnings have been issued, people fined then jailed, biz fined and now put on the alert that all is game... I guess we'll see a very, very aggressive change in how people approach theft of services soon enough...

Will we have service 24/7 by next xmass in the DR?? Well... Save for brownouts due to services or natural events...

 

[windeguy]

Let us hope they not only "stay the course" of prosecution of electricity theft but also accelerate the speed.

24/7 electricity would be a most excellent Xmas present.

 

[PICHARDO]

 

[Anastacio]

These 'poor people' are the same people that sit around all day blasting music with the tv and lights on. If they could cut their cloth they could well afford to pay for electricity, but they don't. Same as those who drive flat out and then can't afford the gas. Turn $hit off during the day when most are at work and they can do it, but choose not to, so screw um, do without.

 

[windeguy]

10 years from now I can ask the same question I asked in post 1 of this thread.

 

[PICHARDO]

Now that Semana Santa is over, I recall Pichardo posting that the government would start to enforce the laws against the stealing of electricity, card based meters to be installed in some ares, etc.

Please post if you see any actions taken against those who are stealing electricity.

Official finds 15 electric frauds in Boca Chica, names names

Santo Domingo. - Electric System (PGASE) prosecutor Mois?s Ferrer, Electricity Superintendent (SIE) inspectors and crews of the Electricity Distribution Company of the East (EDE-Este) uncovered 15 fraudulent hookups in businesses in the resort town of Boca Chica, an energy theft of more than RD$676,000 monthly.

Ferrer said around 66,000 kilowatt-hours were stolen from the EDE-Este monthly, noting that during the searches several merchants were arrested and arraigned for breaking the Electricity Law 125.

Among the detained figure Roberto Felix, owner of the Sony Restaurant and Pizzeria; Frederick Hidalgo, administrator of the Car Wash Las Americas; Miguel Antonio Quezada, owner of the colmado El Campesino and Jos? Rub?n Hoepelman, manager of the Hotel El Caucho.

Ferrer added that fraudulent hookups were also detected in the Colmado Cristi?n, Colmado Pachy, the bakery Lavakey, Colmado Miguel Antonio, S?per Colmado Viamar, Boutique La Mata del Tennis, Salon Doris, the barber shop D. Ra?l Peluquer?a, and Colmado Yanovel.

The owners of those businesses were subpoenaed by the PGASE to normalize their situation with EDE Este.

 

[PICHARDO]

The Prepaid meters???


https://do.prepaidmeters.net/prepaid/index.juice

 

[PICHARDO]

The part for saving energy from public buildings?

State-owned Power Companies plans solar energy for its building

SANTO DOMINGO.- The State-owned Power Companies (CDEEE) will use solar energy to supply electricity to its main building, aimed at reduce its carbon dioxide emission.

To achieve it, CDEEE CEO Celso Marranzini on Wednesday signed a letter of intent with the Korean company Engineering & Service, SRL, represented by Sang Min Choi, Y.H. Jung and W.K. Baik.

With the initiative the CDEEE joins the socially responsible companies which work to reduce the greenhouses gases and global warming.

In an agreement is reached the foreign company would install an array of solar panels in the CDEEE’s parking lots, whose average output would be150 kilowatts daily, equal to a reduction of 23,288 kilos of carbon dioxide or the planting of 1,956 trees annually.