Stricter measures and penalties imposed by distribution network operator DEDDIE/HEDNO to tackle electricity theft have produced encouraging signs of a slowdown, industry data has shown.
Twenty-three percent of consumers behind on electricity bill payments are settling their overdue amounts with one lump sum, while 87 percent are doing so through installments, Nikos Drosos, DEDDIE’s network users director, told a forum titled “Retail Electricity and Natural Gas Markets and Consumers”, staged by RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, within the framework of the ongoing 84th Thessaloniki International Fair.
Some 60 percent of electricity bill debts are being serviced, 5 percent remain overdue, 15 percent are being examined and 20 percent are non-performing, latest data showed.
More effective documentation and firmer handling has led to greater compliance by offenders and a reduction of electricity theft cases, according to the DEDDIE official.