Rosseti recovers 170M from St. Petersburg power theft

In the first six months of 2026, over 900 incidents of illegal electricity consumption were prevented in St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region. Specialists of Rosseti Lenenergo (Rosseti Leningrad Electric Networks) urge citizens to report unauthorized connections to the grid and explain the signs by which they can be detected.

From January to June, energy workers detected 903 cases of non-contractual and unmetered use of electricity. As reported on July 21 by the company«s press service, a total of over 170 million rubles (approximately $1.7 million at current exchange rates) were recovered from violators. To compensate for the damage, Rosseti Lenenergo is conducting claims and lawsuit work.

Among the violations identified:

• 501 cases of unauthorized connection to the grid without a power supply contract – for 14.4 million kWh of illegally consumed energy, 106 million rubles (approximately $1.06 million) were recovered;
• 402 cases of unmetered consumption, including interference with meters – for 12.5 million kWh, 64.4 million rubles (approximately $644,000) were recovered.

The company stressed: «Unmetered electricity consumption is extremely unprofitable: its cost is significantly higher than the costs of legal electricity consumption.»

Unauthorized use of electricity is classified as an administrative offense and entails fines:

• for a first offense – from 10,000 to 15,000 rubles for individuals (approximately $100 to $150) and from 100,000 to 200,000 rubles for legal entities (approximately $1,000 to $2,000);
• for a repeat offense – from 15,000 to 30,000 rubles for individuals (approximately $150 to $300) and from 300,000 to 400,000 rubles for legal entities (approximately $3,000 to $4,000).

The following signs may indicate illegal energy consumption:

• extra wires branching off from the power line;
• low voltage in the network;
• wiring bypassing metering devices.

Rosseti Lenenergo asks to report all suspicious cases by calling the contact center at 8 (800) 220-02-20 or through the feedback form on the corporate website.