Endesa has opened 8,773 cases of electricity fraud in the province of Seville in the first half of 2026, one every 30 minutes. The defrauded energy is equivalent to the consumption of 200,000 households for a month.
The electricity company Endesa has recorded 8,773 fraud cases in the province of Seville between January and June 2026, which translates to one case every half hour. The defrauded energy amounts to 57 million kilowatt hours, a quantity that would have been sufficient to supply 200,000 households for a month.
According to data provided by the company, massive fraud not only represents an economic loss but also poses a risk to people's safety and the quality of the electricity supply in the affected areas. The networks become overloaded and cause continuous outages that the residents suffer.
10% of the fraud is linked to marijuana plantations
Of the cases opened, 79 are related to indoor marijuana plantations, which represents more than one case every three days. These illegal installations have defrauded nearly 6 million kilowatt hours, 10% of the total energy stolen in the province.
One single marijuana plantation can consume as much as 80 homes operating 24 hours a day, according to Endesa. This demand overwhelms the electrical infrastructures, which are not designed to support consumption levels typical of industrial estates.
Endesa quintupled power in areas of massive fraud
To mitigate the effects, Endesa has installed nearly fifty new transformation centres in the most affected areas since 2022. Only in 2026, the company plans to launch 10 new centres with a capacity of 12,600 KVAs, sufficient to supply 7,087 new customers.
The problem, according to the electricity company, is that once the power is increased, new illegal connections again overload the network. In neighbourhoods like Polígono Sur, where fraud reaches 90% in some areas, the improvements only temporarily alleviate the situation.
Endesa collaborates with the State Security Forces in actions against fraud but warns that as long as the plantations are not eradicated, supply cuts and fire risks will persist. Residents in affected areas, such as those in the 3,000 homes, continue to suffer from blackouts and voltage drops regularly.
The company reminds that electricity fraud is a crime punishable by law and that any irregular connection can cause serious accidents. For citizens, the recommendation is to report any anomalies in the supply through official channels.
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