Electricity theft remains an issue for the Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA), although officials say it has declined in recent years.

Electricity Business Unit Manager Andre Matthias said regular audits of residential and commercial accounts are used to detect unusual consumption and identify illegal connections or meter tampering.

He said the planned rollout of automated meters should strengthen APUA’s ability to detect interference by sending immediate alerts when meters are removed or tampered with.

The technology will also provide real-time consumption data, helping officials spot unusual usage patterns. It could eventually support remote disconnections and reconnections, outage management and voltage monitoring.

APUA warned that electricity theft can cause financial losses while also creating potentially serious risks to customers, utility workers and nearby properties.

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: APUA Warns Electricity Theft and Meter Tampering Remain Concerns.