Neoenergia Implements Prevention And Combat Strategies Against Energy Theft, Recovering 782.5 Million kWh—Enough Energy To Supply 4.2 Million People

Recovered Energy from Actions Taken by the Company Totaled 782.5 Million kWh, Which Could Supply a Population Larger Than That of States Like Paraíba

Neoenergia’s distributors recovered 782.5 million kWh of energy from actions taken throughout 2021, such as inspections, replacement of meters and other equipment, and regularization of customers, as well as the use of technology to prevent fraud. The recovered energy would be sufficient to supply approximately 4.2 million inhabitants, more than the population of states like Paraíba.

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The strategies to prevent and combat energy theft are executed in five of the company’s concessionaires – Neoenergia Coelba (BA), Neoenergia Pernambuco (PE), Neoenergia Cosern (RN), Neoenergia Elektro (SP and MS), and Neoenergia Brasília (DF). “Our goal is to provide greater security and quality in the supply for all our consumers. We utilize automation and data analytics resources, which allow us to monitor and act within our concession areas swiftly, preventing fraud that could pose risks to the population,” says Marcelo Fernandez, Director of Customer Services at Neoenergia.

Regularization of 76,000 Illegal Clients Resulted in Over 159 Million kWh Recovered

In 2021, the distributors in the Northeast and Neoenergia Elektro conducted 551,000 inspections, recovering over 404 million kWh. The energy recovered from these actions alone would be sufficient to supply a population larger than that of a city like Recife (PE). The regularization of 76,000 illegal clients resulted in more than 159 million kWh recovered. Additionally, 553,000 obsolete or potentially faulty meters were replaced with newer models.

The companies also carried out the surveying and inspection of public lighting at over 1 million points in the park, totaling a recovered energy of 121 million kWh. One of the resources used by Neoenergia’s distributors for this is automated data analysis from satellite images, which are compared with the registration information. The systems can verify if the number of poles and their locations match the data that is cataloged.

The company took over the management of Neoenergia Brasília in March last year, and since then, the distributor has recovered four times more energy than in the same period of 2020. More than 46,000 inspections were conducted, with a recovery of 90.1 million kWh, and the concessionaire regularized 23,000 illegal connections. Ongoing actions in public lighting led to the recovery of 8.4 million kWh.

Anonymous Reporting

Energy theft harms all customers as it leads to improper modifications to the grid, posing risks to life, and part of the value of the stolen energy ends up being paid by all consumers. Therefore, Neoenergia emphasizes the importance of reporting fraud.

Reports can be made anonymously through the Relationship Centers or directly on the distributors’ websites, under the Service Channels > Report Irregularity section.

Irregular Connections make improper changes to the grid, exposing the population to electrical shock risks because they are not made under adequate technical conditions. These connections can also interfere with the quality of service for consumers. Relationship Center for Anonymous Reporting:

• Neoenergia Elektro: 0800 701 01 02