Endesa – electricity theft from cannabis growing increases in Spain

Endesa has reported a doubling in electricity theft from illegal cannabis operations over the past four years.

In 2021, these operations accounted for one fifth of the energy recovered in the frauds detected by e-distribution, Endesa’s network subsidiary, although making up just 2% of the total 71,000 fraud files investigated.

Endesa reports closing 1,636 fraud files linked to cannabis growing in homes or other buildings in 2021 – twice as many as in 2018.

This corresponds to an average of 4.5 such illegal connections uncovered per day and highlights a growing problem in many locations in the country affecting the safety of residents, the quality of electricity supply and citizen coexistence, the company said in a statement.

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The amount of electricity recovered from these connections amounted to 159 million kWh, the equivalent of the consumption of 45,000 homes and the average consumption per growing operation corresponding to that of 80 homes.

“Electric fraud is detrimental to society as a whole, as it translates into an increase in the electricity bill for all consumers and puts both the safety and quality of supply at risk for other users,” says José Manuel Revuelta, Endesa’s director general of Infrastructure and Networks.

“But, above all, the irregular connections and manipulations of the electrical installation imply important risks for the health of the person who performs them and those around, as they can cause fires, electrocutions and electric shocks.”

Endesa points out that in recent years there have been numerous cases of fires in homes in which cannabis is being cultivated, not only in isolated areas but also in blocks of flats in more built up areas.

In addition, the electrical infrastructure used in these facilities has become increasingly sophisticated with demand in some cases approaching industrial levels.

Endesa attributes the growth in indoor plantations to the greater number of harvests that can be obtained compared with outdoor ones, up to four per year.

Its figures correspond to its areas of operation but estimates are that the total consumption of cannabis plantations in Spain amounts to 1.5TWh – equivalent to the electricity demand of Palma de Mallorca in one year.

Endesa states that machine learning and deep learning techniques are being applied to refine and improve the effectiveness of inspections, while also the digitalisation of the network with smart metering and sensors provides data on the low and medium voltage grids that support the process.

The company also relies on reports from consumers, either telephonic or by email.