Cooperative Living July 2022 - 23

CLOSER LOOK
Preventing Costly
Copper Theft
by Paul Wesslund, Contributing Columnist
Electric utilities are hit hard as metal prices soar
S
trange things start happening
when the world price of copper
skyrockets to record levels like
it did this year.
Thieves in Ohio recently climbed
power poles and made off with 10,000
feet of copper wire. An Illinois electric
cooperative reported that vandals
swiped large amounts of copper wire.
A Florida man was arrested for allegedly
stealing more than $20,000 of copper
wire from an investor-owned utility
substation and trying to sell it.
Copper is incredibly useful. It's
flexible and conducts electricity well.
It's a staple for utilities and is used to
make nearly every type of electronic
device. Copper's nontoxic nature and
resistance to corrosion also make it
useful in plumbing.
A RISK TO PUBLIC SAFETY
So, there's lots of it around, and over
the decades when copper prices have
gone up, the thieves have come out.
Copper is
Copper theft can have
consequences way beyond just
the inconvenience of stolen property.
Copper crimes can result in death,
incredibly useful.
It's flexible
and conducts
electricity well.
higher and sit at more than $3
at
than
a pound as of press time. Copper's
continued importance to utilities, the
with regular reports of thieves being
electrocuted while removing wire from
utility poles or substations. Stealing
copper also threatens the lives of utility
workers by disconnecting critical safety
devices.
Th copper price and theft rate has
fluctuated, but started going up again a
year ago for two reasons: the economic
recovery from the pandemic and
demand for renewable energy.
As the use of solar energy and wind
power grows, more copper wiring will
be needed to carry the electricity it
produces. Th re's a lot more copper
wiring in an electric vehicle than one
that runs on gasoline. Copper's value
to greener power has led some observers
to refer to it as " the new oil. "
Last year, copper prices hit a record
high. In March 2022, they went even
economy and to criminals has led to
a greater focus on preventing thefts.
TOUGHER LAWS
Laws have been toughened over the
past 20 years, and now all 50 states have
statutes in place to reduce copper theft.
Many of those laws focus on making sure
that scrap metal dealers know the source
of the copper they're buying.
Companies have developed ways to
secure wiring in air-conditioning units and
come up with coatings that can identify
stolen property. Some copper products
are being stamped with identifying codes,
and video surveillance is being added to
areas with a lot of copper.
Electric utilities, including
cooperatives, have placed special emphasis
on preventing copper theft. Over the
years, utilities have launched public
awareness campaigns, offered rewards
for information leading to the arrest
and conviction of thieves, marked
copper wire for easier recovery from
scrap metal dealers and collaborated
with stakeholders.
In addition, law enforcement has
become more responsive to electric
utilities facing copper theft and
collaborate with utilities to recover more
stolen copper and arrest those responsible.
You can help. Many copper thieves
have been captured when observant
citizens saw something suspicious and
called 911. 
Paul Wesslund writes on consumer
and cooperative affairs for the National
Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
co-opliving.com
July 2022 ● Cooperative Living ●
21
GRAPHIC COURTESY NATIONAL MINING ASSOCIATION
http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living July 2022

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