Electric Co-op Today

An electric co-op in Utah is offering $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of thieves who stole copper wire and damaged more than 100 power poles in the process.

Copper thieves struck the Arizona desert recently, damaging more than 100 power poles and causing more than $10,000 in damage. (Photo By: Garkane Energy Co-op)

The Feb. 17 incident occurred in the service area of Garkane Energy Co-op, Loa, Utah, in a remote section just south of the state border in Arizona. Officials estimate that it will cost more than $10,000 to repair and replace the copper ground wire on the poles.

The case is under investigation and some evidence has been collected, according to Trish Carter, a spokeswoman at the Mohave County Sheriff’s Department in Kingman, Ariz. She added that no one has come forward with information.

Because the affected area is so remote, no residents lost power. And thieves “may even have taken several days to pull ground wires off numerous poles,” said Carl Albrecht, general manager of Garkane Energy Co-op.

However, the thefts did affect a 1,500-kilowatt uranium mine for two days at the most, according to Jeff Vaughn, a manager of the co-op’s southern system in Kanab. That outage wasn’t discovered until Monday, Feb. 21, when miners showed up for work and reported the incident to the co-op, he said.

The co-op will likely replace the stolen copper wire with aluminum wire “to deter future thefts,” said Vaughn. The process is a “little bit more labor-intensive,” he said.

“This was the first time we’ve ever experienced copper theft to this extent,” said Vaughn. “Let’s hope a trend isn’t being set here.”

Tags: Co-op News, Copper Theft, Crime