Sant Roc electricity theft continues to plague the Badalona neighbourhood, with alarming new data revealing one in four supply points remain illegally tapped.
According to figures from energy company Endesa, 27.85% of electrical supplies in the area operate without proper contracts, highlighting a deep-rooted social and safety crisis that has persisted for over a decade.
Sant Roc Electricity Theft Statistics Reveal Widespread Problem
Endesa’s comprehensive data shows that of the 15,633 electricity supply points in Sant Roc, a staggering 4,354 lack formal contracts.
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Furthermore, the company has opened 5,584 fraud investigation cases specifically in this neighbourhood, representing nearly 20% of all such cases across the entire city of Badalona. The scale becomes even more concerning when considering that Sant Roc contains only 5.4% of Badalona’s total population.
The energy company estimates approximately 40.2 KW/h of electricity has been fraudulently obtained throughout Badalona during the past decade, with Sant Roc accounting for 28% of this total. These figures underscore how the neighbourhood’s electricity theft problem disproportionately affects the wider city’s energy infrastructure and costs.
Safety Concerns And Tragic Precedents
Endesa officials express grave concerns about fire risks associated with illegal electrical connections. Company sources specifically reference the tragic Three Kings’ Night incident in 2019 when three people died and approximately thirty others sustained injuries in a Sant Roc blaze. The fire originated in a flat with an illegally tapped electricity supply, demonstrating the potentially fatal consequences of these unauthorized connections.
This past July, Endesa took drastic action by cutting power to an entire building block in Sant Roc after discovering that only six of twenty-one supply points had legitimate contracts. The decision followed another fire in the same block where residents had illegally reconnected cables after firefighters extinguished the initial blaze. Consequently, these safety interventions highlight the ongoing tension between addressing immediate dangers and finding sustainable solutions.
Economic Inequality Underpins Electricity Crisis
The neighbourhood’s extreme poverty significantly complicates resolution efforts. Official data reveals that the western sector of Sant Roc has one of Catalonia’s lowest per capita incomes, falling below €7,500 annually. Many residents simply lack the financial resources to pay for necessary electrical infrastructure repairs or regularise their supply contracts, particularly when housing costs continue rising across the region.
Carles Sagués, spokesperson for community organisation Sant Roc Som Badalona, criticises Endesa’s approach as superficial. “These interventions seem more like a raid that doesn’t address the root problem,” he states. Community advocates argue that real solutions require acknowledging economic realities where some families survive on €800 monthly or less.
Searching For Sustainable Solutions
Social organisations have long demanded what they term a “social effort” from both the company and public administrations to regularise contracts and install social meters. They reference a 2021 agreement between the Catalan government and Endesa where the company committed to forgiving at least 50% of vulnerable families’ electricity bills. However, implementation has proven challenging, and wider social housing shortages exacerbate the situation.
The unresolved nature of Sant Roc’s electricity theft problem reflects broader social inequalities. As Sagués notes, “Nobody says not to pay, but it makes no sense to demand €3,000 per flat because it won’t achieve anything.” Therefore, without addressing the underlying economic deprivation, the cycle of illegal connections and safety risks seems likely to continue despite intermittent enforcement actions.
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