Energy thefts generate losses of R$10 billion in 2023

Energy theft is not just a financial problem for distributors, but also for consumers who need to bear the costs of the “cats”.

According to ABRADEE (Brazilian Association of Electricity Distributors), commercial energy losses amounted to 40,7 terawatt hours (TWh) last year, an increase of 19,3% compared to 2022.

Calculating this amount lost by the average cost of purchasing energy (R$ 249), the amount of energy lost represented a financial impact of R$10,1 billion in 2023.

The so-called “non-technical losses” refer to the energy that was not billed by distributors. Regulation allows part of this loss to be passed on to the tariffs of other consumers, but another part is absorbed by energy concessionaires, damaging the companies' cash flow.

In 2023, the target for regulatory losses transferable to consumers was 10,6%, while actual losses reached 16,9%. This means that around 6% of the total stolen energy translates into direct losses for distributors.

The states that concentrate the highest levels of energy theft are Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Amazonas, Amapá, Pará and Rondônia.

“Rio de Janeiro is the state with the highest volume of stolen energy. In 2023, the state lost 11,27 million MWh. The second state with the highest volume of stolen energy was São Paulo, with 6,98 million MWh”, highlighted ABRADEE in a press release.

Distributors have an obligation to find solutions to reduce the level of losses. However, this is also a public safety issue that requires coordination between local and federal authorities. Energy theft is a crime provided for in article 155 of the Penal Code, with a penalty of one to four years in prison.

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