NewsA recurring practice in the industrial market of the Coast is the strategic placement of companies with high energy demand in strata 1 and 2. Afinia investigates alleged electricity theft Photo: AfiniaJOURNALIST16.10.2026 16:07 Updated: 16.10.2026 16:07
As part of the control operations to curb non-technical losses in the Caribbean region, the company Afinia, a subsidiary of Grupo EPM, raised the alarm after detecting alleged irregularities in the metering system of the commercial establishment Hielo del Caribe, located in the Bellavista neighborhood of Cartagena. Consumption audits revealed an abysmal gap between the firm's usual billing and the actual volume of electricity consumed for industrial ice processing. While the establishment's regular monthly billing averaged 5 million pesos, technical estimates determined that the energy not billed through the alleged fraud would exceed 36 million pesos per month. The disproportion in the figures prompted an inspection operation on the cabinet, the meter, and the metering cell, where the company's crews identified anomalous conditions that altered the proper recording of the electrical flow. READ ALSO Afinia Photo:AfiniaDuring the technical procedure in the industrial and peripheral area of Bellavista, the crews proceeded to replace the current signal wiring, carried out communication tests with the central control equipment, verified the operation of the centralized metering, and downloaded the meter's data memory to subject its behavior to analytical traceability. Tensions during the inspection and tariff maneuversThe electric company's report stated that the administrative proceeding faced serious obstacles from the establishment's staff. Those attending the visit argued that they had not received prior notification and left the premises before the technical maneuvers were completed, refusing to sign the official record in which the detected inconsistencies were documented. READ ALSO Afinia took advantage of the finding to spark debate about a recurring practice in the industrial market of the Coast: the strategic location of companies with high energy demand in peripheral neighborhoods of low socioeconomic strata. According to the operator, some businesses seek to settle in these areas to improperly exploit the property's classification. However, the entity specified that the tariff regulation of the electricity service in Colombia does not depend on the urban stratum of the sector where they operate, but rather on the actual category of use of the service. Companies with industrial or commercial activity must pay the tariff corresponding to their market segment, with no possibility of accessing residential subsidies or exemptions. Afinia reaffirmed that it will maintain random inspections and oversight operations throughout the district jurisdiction to defend tariff equity and safeguard the resources allocated to the modernization of the regional power grid. Also, we invite you to watch: Documentary by journalist Jineth Bedoya. Photo:Cartagena Follow all the news from Colombia on Facebook and Twitter, or in our weekly newsletter.
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