Ontario Electricity Distributor Addresses Copper Theft

Ontario Copper Prices and Theft show a 22.5% rise in copper costs per IPPI, rising commodity prices, and Hydro One warnings on copper theft, high-voltage grounding safety, and Crime Stoppers reporting in Ontario.

Hydro One, which operates electrical power transmission lines in Ontario, says the theft of copper is on the rise and a Toronto man was recently burned while attempting to steal some from a transformer station.

As previously reported in The Daily Commercial News and Construction Record, Statistics Canada said the price of copper rose 22.5 per cent from May, 2010 to May, 2011, and reports indicate that copper thefts becoming common across many regions. That figure was from a sub-index of the Industrial Product Price Index IPPI, released in late July. For more information on metal and other commodity prices, please see Canada’s latest IPPI and RMPI results reflect the economy’s summer lethargy by Alex Carrick, Chief Economist, CanaData.

Hydro One said thefts have increased from an average of 10 per month six months ago, to 16 per month during the summer, thereby prompting measures such as phasing out pure copper in some stations to deter thefts.

Due to the problem of copper theft, Hydro One announced it is asking Canadians to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS if they suspect copper theft.

It is also warning that copper thieves risk serious or fatal injury, including electrocution, especially if they try to steal the copper fittings that ground high-voltage equipment.

Hydro One was formed when the Ontario government split Ontario Hydro, forming Ontario Power Generation as the power plant company and Hydro One as the operator of both the high-voltage transmission network that distributes to industry and utilities, plus a low-voltage system that serves individual customers in rural areas and small communities.

Safety officials also note that thieves risk their lives for copper cables when attempting to access energized infrastructure.

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