Rise in Copper Theft Could Bring Shocking Penalties

For Immediate Release July 27 , 2006 Prices for salvage copper are on the rise and so are the number of copper thefts, including Jackson Electric Membership Corporation (EMC) work sites. The increase in incidents could lead to some shocking penalties for thieves and power outages for consumers.

"Recently we had a very dangerous incident where someone opened a transformer carrying 14,400 volts and removed all the copper," says Tim Sweat, Jackson EMC job training and safety director. "It was only four or five pounds of copper, worth maybe $15 at current salvage prices. It really isn't worth the risk of getting electrocuted."

Thieves have also cut and stolen underground primary wire, rich in aluminum, from a Jackson EMC work site. "This is an increasing problem around the state. In an attempted theft at Snapping Shoals EMC, someone tried to steal wire at a substation grounding system, and there was an electrical flash that could have resulted in injury to the eyes or burned someone. At another EMC's substation, a crewmember found a cutting tool welded to the copper wire from a build-up of current where someone was attempting to steal the copper ground wires."

Cooperative employees can be injured because of criminal activity, and members pay the price as well, for repairs and materials.

"If a member notices that their household transformer has been opened, we'll send a crew out to check on it," Sweat said. "Then we may need to send another crew to repair and replace the grounding conductors. In the case of the underground primary wire up a pole, we'll have to send a crew out to splice the wire. The thefts cause an interruption of service, increased costs, and carry the potential for injury."

The rising incidents of copper theft are likely tied to the rising prices paid for copper on the salvage market, according to Sweat. "Copper is a commodity. The price of copper fluctuates and right now it's at a premium," he said.

Due to the escalation in copper thefts, line crews at EMCs throughout Georgia have modified the way they work.

"We don't leave wire at the job site anymore, which is something we had done for years," said Sweat. "Now we try to make copper wiring as inaccessible as possible. We have taken precautions in the form of locks, specially designed bolts and warning signs to deter thefts and break-ins at transformers and substations."

"If you see anyone around electric substations or transformers other than EMC personnel or contractors, call your local sheriff's department because no one else should be there," said Sweat. "Even the developer of a subdivision wouldn't be poking around the electric transformers."

Jackson EMC is a consumer-owned cooperative serving more than 195,000 meters in 10 Northeast Georgia counties.

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