[Coley]

A little while ago they hit 3 rock quarries and stole all welding cable and cables from the equipment.
Then they slashed all 4 tires on an old pickup.

An email shows two fellows that were not so lucky and the 440 line they were attempting to steal "welded" them to the pole and each other.........

What idiots....

 

[gottdi]

So where is that email? Gotta see now that you mentioned it. Unless it is just to terrible to put public.

Pete

 

[david85]

Are they still doing that? I thought copper prices came down enough that it wasn't worth their while anymore. Sometimes it really is strange to see how much trouble some go through to avoid honest work.

 

[Coley]

Trying to find the email

 

[Coley]

Found it, but don't know how to post it here. Can email it to you?
Your address?

 

[gottdi]

Check your PM.

 

[samborambo]

Are they still doing that? I thought copper prices came down enough that it wasn't worth their while anymore. Sometimes it really is strange to see how much trouble some go through to avoid honest work.

Definitely still happening. We see surges in copper theft as the price spikes. The current price of copper is US$8,500/tonne, higher than pre-GFC levels.

I work for an electricity lines company here in New Zealand. We never put copper up in the air anymore as its just too expensive and is stolen from live circuits even at 11kV. That said, there's still no other option for earthing cables as aluminium forms a thick insulating oxide layer when buried in the moist ground.

In the last couple of months, with the price of copper being so high, we've had a spate of earth lead theft from pole mounted transformers and air-break switches. One (fairly knowledgeable) theif tripped out a 220kV substation up on the wind farm by draining the transformer oil so that they could rip off the copper bus work.

Sam.

 

[Coley]

Gottdi, did you get the emails?

 

[david85]

Definitely still happening. We see surges in copper theft as the price spikes. The current price of copper is US$8,500/tonne, higher than pre-GFC levels.

I work for an electricity lines company here in New Zealand. We never put copper up in the air anymore as its just too expensive and is stolen from live circuits even at 11kV. That said, there's still no other option for earthing cables as aluminium forms a thick insulating oxide layer when buried in the moist ground.

In the last couple of months, with the price of copper being so high, we've had a spate of earth lead theft from pole mounted transformers and air-break switches. One (fairly knowledgeable) theif tripped out a 220kV substation up on the wind farm by draining the transformer oil so that they could rip off the copper bus work.

Sam.

Guess I've been out of the loop lately. I stand corrected!