The reality of electricity fraud: a transformer rendered unusable in Seville due to providing 6 times more power than that contracted

Interior of the burnt transformation center in Torreblanca.

In the early morning of 18 July, the transformer located in Plaza Salvador Valverde in the neighbourhood of Torreblanca in Seville was unable to withstand the overload on the network as a result of massive fraud, especially marijuana plantations.

The conditions to which this transformer was subjected, even though it had recently been renovated with the latest technology in low voltage automation, resulted in the electrical installation becoming overheated and totally damaged. 

This centre consisted of two transformers with a total installed power of 2,000 KVA, that is, it had the capacity to supply 1,200 customers.

A total 200 customers had a contract in force to be supplied from this Installation, so this centre had the capacity to serve 6 times more supply points than those contracted.

What is more, in August 2022 Endesa installed another transformer nearby (Calle Nogal) https://www.europapress.es/andalucia/sevilla-00357/noticia-endesa-inicia-instalacion-tercer-nuevo-centro-transformacion-torreblanca-incidencias-20220810150947.html, for a further 2,000 KVA and with capacity for another 1,200 customers, to reduce the load on the transformer that caught fire last night. That is, between the two transformers the network had enough power to supply about 2,400 customers in the area, twelve times more than the power required by the 400 supply points with a contract in force in this urban district (200 per transformer).

Latest Low-Voltage technology

On 23 June, Endesa technicians also completed the installation the latest technology for the remote control of the installation together with a National Police device for the safety of workers https://www.europapress.es/andalucia/sevilla-00357/noticia-endesa-instala-centro-transformacion-control-remoto-barrio-sevillano-torreblanca-20230623144555.html

The transformer was digitalised by replacing the low voltage panels with new remote control panels, which enable the low voltage installation to be remotely controlled. This means that, in the event of a network overload, when the fuses on the low voltage panel blow for safety reasons they can be reactivated remotely. This reduces the time taken to repair the supply and guarantees the safety of Endesa's workers.

This technology also enables the transformer to be monitored and data collected on loads, voltage levels and other technical parameters that once analysed, show consumption behaviour in the area. Some of this involves domestic use and some corresponds to excessive consumption corresponding to continuous demand over time, 24 hours a day, every day of the week, which is typical consumption for indoor marijuana plantations.

This new technology involved an investment of about €35,000 and is the second time that it will be installed in the 3,200 transformers distributed throughout Seville, the first was installed in a transformer in the Padre Pío neighbourhood. The Company plans to continue deploying this methodology in other transformers in the areas most affected by network overload.

This case is a typical example of the consequences of electricity fraud in the distribution network, mainly that used for marijuana plantations, and how the improvement and strengthening of the network are a short-term solution to guarantee supply. In this regard, to find a solution to this structural problem we need the collaboration of all the corresponding administrations, as well as social entities and society as a whole to eradicate the illegal cultivation of marijuana in urban environments.

Interior of the Torreblanca transformation center.
Exterior of the Torreblanca transformation center.
Exterior of the Torreblanca transformation center.

Repair of the transformer affected by the overload

Endesa's technicians have been working since early yesterday morning to replenish the supply as soon as possible to the 200 customers with a contract in force in the area, and this was completed at 4.30 am today, 19 July.

To do this, once the fire brigade guaranteed that the area was safe to work in, they have proceeded to uninstall all the material inside the transformer that had become unusable. To be able to do this, Endesa's technicians needed the support of Local Police, since some of the material they were removing was stolen and they were threatened.

Once they had cleaned the interior of the transformer and assessed the damage, they requested the delivery of new material and began to install all the corresponding electrical switchgear (two transformers, medium-voltage cells and low-voltage panels). The technicians also had to replace in a perimeter of about 4 metres around the transformer all the low voltage wiring that leaves the installation and that distributes energy to the points of consumption.

The complete renovation of the transformer required an investment of €60,000.

Fire at the Torreblanca transformation center.

Investments for the strengthening of the network in Torreblanca

In the last two years, Endesa has taken measures to address the problem of network overload by installing three new transformers in Torreblanca, in the Calle Nogal (mentioned above), Calle Marinaleda and Calle Los Molares, which have enough capacity to serve about 5,600 customers. There has also been the refurbishment of two other transformers affected by incidents resulting from illegal connections that caused the distribution networks to be saturated. All this involved an investment of more than €1.5 million.

In 2022, in this district of Seville 30 works were undertaken to strengthen about 25 kilometres of medium- and low-voltage circuits. The plan to strengthen the networks undertaken during the last two years has increased capacity by 60%.

Safety of the installations and personal safety

Illegal connections are undertaken using unsuitable materials and without complying with any type of safety standard. Homes with illegal connections do not have the basic protection systems that every home should have. In areas where massive illegal connections are recorded, the only protection that would work is that provided by Endesa's networks, but these are also boycotted so safety for both people and the environment is eliminated.

It is very important to stress that electrical fraud entails very serious safety problems, both for the people who handle the installations and for those who fortuitously may have access to them. They may suffer electrocutions and the installations themselves may overheat.

To this we should add the safety of Endesa's operators who cannot freely go about their ordinary work, as they receive threats and coercion from those who try to prevent illegal connections from being disconnected. This means that repairs to the distribution network need to be made in the presence of offices from the National and/or Local Police. Endesa's technicians also have to hide their faces, as expressly instructed by the authorities, so they cannot be recognised during the joint actions to disconnect fraudulent supplies.

 

About Endesa 

Endesa is a leading electricity company in Spain and the second largest in Portugal. The company is also the second largest gas operator in the Spanish market. Endesa operates an end-to-end electricity generation, distribution and marketing business. Through  Endesa X, it also offers value-added services aimed at the electrification of energy usage in homes, companies, industries and Public Administrations. It is also the leading operator of charging stations in Spain through Endesa X Way, a business line dedicated entirely to electric mobility. Endesa is firmly committed to the United Nations SDGs and strongly supports the development of renewable energies through Enel Green Power España, the digitalisation of grids through e-distribución, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The Endesa Foundation is also active in CSR. Our workforce numbers around 9,260 employees. Endesa is a division of Enel, the largest electricity group in Europe. 

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