Dozens of hotels, restaurants and cafes have systematically stole electricity causing 1.2 million euros damage to the Greek state in a period of only four months.
From November 2024 to February 2025, a total of 700 inspections were carried out by the Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator (HEDNO) in the sector of HORECA, that is hotels, restaurants and cafes across the country regarding the use of electricity.
Electricity theft was detected and confirmed in 131 cases, while stolen were 4.8 gigawatt hours. The total damage to the State amounts to 1.2 million euros.
At the same time, another 153 cases are in the process of being certified as power theft through laboratory tests, with the final number of detected power thefts expected to increase significantly.
It is noteworthy that in some cases of well-known store chains, the percentage of detected power thefts exceeded 50% of the number of services tested, which demonstrates the potentially systematic nature of the phenomenon in such cases.
The HENDO announcement did not explicitly clarify whether the electricity theft took place through tampering the electricity meter or its connections.
However, the HEDNO noted that during the tests, HEDNO proceeded to replace all meters with smart meters, which allow for the immediate detection of violations. In addition, strict protocols for the custody and storage of meters were implemented. The assistance of the Hellenic Police was crucial in ensuring the smooth conduct of the inspections, providing the necessary support to the teams where deemed necessary, while corresponding cooperation and necessary support will continue in the context of the intensification of the Company’s actions to address and combat the phenomenon of electricity theft.
Combating the phenomenon of electricity theft is a strategic priority for HEDNO, as it is an illegal behavior that burdens law-abiding and financially responsible citizens, a relevant announcement states.
In the period 2019-2024, the power distributor has more than quadrupled laboratory tests compared to previous years, strengthening the capacity to detect and prosecute violations (from 5.3 thousand on average in the three-year period 2019-2022 to 22.2 thousand in 2024). The value of confirmed electricity thefts also more than doubled, from 30 million euros in 2023 to 62 million euros in 2024, while the value of collections from confirmed electricity thefts amounted to 27.1 million euros in 2024 from approximately 16.4 million euros on average in the three-year period 2019-2022.
