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Cable Theft A Million Dollar
Headache For the Utility Company
The Compañía Nacional de Fuerza
y Luz (CNFL) - light and power
utility company - says it is
surprised at the ingenuity of
thieves as they continue to
steal not only cables from the
light posts, but also meters,
underground cables and parts of
street lights, all in an effort
to extract precious metals
contained in the equipment.
The CNFL says the problem has
become a serious headache for
the utility company which is now
suffering losses of more than
¢500 million colones
(us$970.000) a year.
However, the loss from theft of
the equipment is not just in the
equipment, but loss to residents
and businesses of affected areas
as they have to endure hours of
loss of power and in one case of
a death resulting from a traffic
accident in the area known as
Plaza Viquez, near the
Ministerio de Obras Públicas y
Transportes (MOPT) offices, when
the cable theft knocked out the
traffic signals in the area.
The CNFL said that at some point
in time the loss has to be
passed on to the consumers
unless judicial authorities do
something to curb the
uncontrolled situation.
The CNFL says it had to replace
this year alone 3.800 electrical
meters that cost the utility
company ¢460 million colones,
the rest of the cost of the loss
is to replace cable and street
lights. The loss will probably
end up in an increase of the
monthly utility bill.
An official of the CNFL, a
subsidiary of the state monopoly
on telecommunications and
electricity, the Instituto
Costarricense de Electricidad
(ICE), said that thieves are now
accessing distribution boxes and
stealing precious metals like
copper used in fuses, The
utility company has sent out
work crews to reinforce locks on
the control boxes to make it
more difficult for thieves to
access them.
Roy Guzmán, chief of network
distribution at the CNFL, added
that the access to the control
boxes, in addition to stealing
the fuses, cause short circuits
and thus the thieves can then
access the above or below ground
cables with ease and no danger
of being electrocuted, the cause
of a number of deaths and
injuries.
The CNFL official is asking
residents to keep an eye out for
thieves and to report any
suspicious activity to the
Organismo de Investigación
Judicial (OIJ) or the Fuerza
Pública (police) by calling 911
or directly to the Fuerza y Luz
by dialing 126.
Guzmán said that with the help
of citizens this problem can be
greatly reduced and authorities
can act against the criminals.
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