Luz y Fuerza del Centro (LFC) is losing $500 million annually through illegal electricity consumption.
LFC calculates that 2430 GWh are stolen every year, representing 7.5 per cent of its total 1998 sales. Approximately 43 per cent of illegal electricity use is attributed to irregular settlements, public markets, and informal sector businesses that ‘never had control or meters’.
The remaining 57 per cent is attributed to contracted services that have altered meters to underestimate usage or to services that were disconnected and then reconnected illegally.
