Enel São Paulo recorded 3.499 incidents of cable theft between January and July 2025. Although the number is still significant, it represents a 42% drop compared to the same period in 2024, when 6.080 cases were recorded.
The reduction also positively impacted the number of customers affected by power outages: 19.954 this year, compared to 24.027 last year. Cable theft is a recurring problem in the electricity sector, driven by the resale value of copper in wiring.
At the end of July, the federal government passed a law that toughens penalties for this type of crime, with penalties ranging from two to eight years in prison, plus a fine. The São Paulo state capital concentrates most of the incidents in the distributor's concession area: 2 were reported in the first seven months of the year.
Other cities with a high number of thefts were Osasco (313), Santo André (187), São Bernardo do Campo (113), Diadema (63), Cotia (41), Mauá (41), Carapicuíba (38), São Caetano do Sul (36) and Itapevi (24). Together, these cities accounted for 98% of the cases registered in the period.
In the city of São Paulo, the most affected neighborhoods were Casa Verde (307 incidents / 1.175 customers impacted), Cursino (271 / 1.505), Aeroporto (209 / 1.409), Itaquera (192 / 447), Campo Limpo (157 / 396) and Jaguará (57 / 100). Combined, these six neighborhoods had 1.193 incidents and more than 5 consumers affected by power outages.
According to Enel, the reduction in thefts is the result of coordinated actions with police forces and the adoption of preventive measures. One of the highlights was the replacement of iron covers with concrete covers in underground galleries, especially in the city center.
The new, heavier model requires the use of a crane for removal, making it more difficult for criminals to operate. Furthermore, the utility has expanded its use of monitoring technologies in the power grid, such as sensors, alarms, and remote surveillance systems, in both overhead and underground networks.
In areas considered more critical, the company has also reinforced the presence of security teams. The distributor also emphasizes that, in addition to being illegal, cable theft exposes criminals to serious risks of electric shocks, which can lead to death.
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