17,289 electricity theft cases recorded since January

AMMAN — The Chief Executive Officer of the Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission (EMRC) Farouq Hiyari on Wednesday announced that 17,289 cases of electricity theft have been recorded since the beginning of the year until the end of July, according to an EMRC statement. 

Hiyari said that the commission carried out 21,140 periodic inspections over the period, which led to the detection of 8,227 cases of electricity theft.

The electricity distribution companies detected 7,064 of the theft cases, while the Public Security Department (PSD) and the Gendarmerie forces in cooperation with the three electricity distribution companies, discovered 1,998 cases.

Hiyari said that courts have ruled against 1,352 cases of electricity thefts in the past nine months, 570 of which were filed by the Jordan Electric Power Company (JEPC), 651 by the Irbid Electricity Company (IEC) and 131 by Electricity Distribution Company (EDC).

The cases of theft detected by members of the PSD and Gendarmerie in areas supplied by the JEPC reached, 1,172 cases, 193 cases in the IEC areas and 633 in the EDC areas, according to Hiyari.

Hiyari highlighted the importance of coordination between electricity companies, security forces and the EMRC, and the role this cooperation plays from the detection of all theft cases until they reach the courtroom.

He called on the citizens to report cases of illegal exploitation of electric power, whether by contacting the authorities in Amman on the number of the control centre (5805025) or by contacting the electricity companies.