Algerians Steal 13 Thousand Megawatts Of Electricity Annually

The National Electricity and Gas Company Sonelgaz not secured 6 billion dinars from dues among public and private customers during 2016, to settle in the range of 58 billion dinars as it was estimated last year at 64 billion dinars.

The Sonelgaz CEO, Mr. Mustapha Guitouni, explained Sunday, on the sidelines of the signing of the e-payment agreement with the National Bank of Algeria at the Aurassi hotel in upper Algiers that the company’s current total financial returns  including those coming from (organizations,  public bodies,  citizens and private firms) have stabilized at the level of 58 billion dinars, of which 6 billion Algerian dinars were collected only, noting that the Sonelgaz group has worked out a schedule to allow its customers to honour their bills through a payment by installments.

He also hinted that the Sonelgaz company is moving toward reducing the evasion of payment and the phenomenon of theft operations of electricity, through the setting up of a brand-new digital scheme accompanied by different processes of electronic payment along the lines of what has been concluded with the National Bank of Algeria (BNA).

In accordance with the relevant agreement, the holders of interbank cards of the BNA or any other banks operating in Algeria, would be able to pay their electricity and gas bills online through the four websites of SONELGAZ distribution companies, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.

BNA and SONELGAZ expect 30 online payment operations in 2017.

According to Mr Guitouni, these nefarious phenomena, especially electricity theft account for about 20 percent of the productive capabilities of the company with regard to electricity, as about 13 thousand megawatts per year are wasted because of these illegal practices deriving from wanton stealing, cheating and evasion of bills’ payment.

Mr Mustapha Guitouni further revealed that the Algerian consumer is paying the price of electricity at the least expensive price in the African continent (the price of a kilowatt), stressing in this regard that one Kilowatt costs 11.64 dinars, while Algerians pay only 4 Dinars in exchange for it and the remaining 7 dinars are subsidized by the State, as he put it.