Solkraftverk i Spanien har ett problem: organiserade tjuvgäng som stjäl deras koppar

Konsolideringen av solcellsenergi är vanligtvis goda nyheter, men också en fantastisk möjlighet för vissa kriminella organisationer. På senare tid har kopparstölder som använder denna typ av installation i sina ledningar blivit populära.

Organiserade rån. Last year, the Civil Guard dismantled a criminal group that had stolen nearly 45 kilometers of copper cable from 12 different photovoltaic plants spread across our geography. Already this year, the same security force arrested seven people who had accessed, among other places, photovoltaic parks in Toledo and Albacete to steal nearly 85,000 kilos of this metal, as reported by the newspaper ABC.

Uppskattningen av värdet på det stulna materialet och skadorna vid stölderna överstiger 900 000 euro. In Seville, also in 2026, two tons of copper have been recovered, as well as 250 kilos of tinned solar cable, after several companies dedicated to the construction and operation of photovoltaic installations informed the Civil Guard of the thefts and damage caused that they had been suffering. Furthermore, recently, in Ávila, La Rioja and Córdoba, 39 people have been arrested accused of this same crime: in this case, they would have taken 134 kilometers of cable, weighing 157 tons.

The economic value of this theft exceeds one million euros and hides international planning and coordination, since they also operated in France and Portugal and then transported their loot to Romania. I Xataka Kina har det hamstrat koppar i månader. Och resten av världen tittar på Mer än bara en kabel.

Koppar används ofta i kraftverk på grund av dess goda egenskaper som formbar, seg metall och en god ledare av elektricitet. Allt detta gör den till den tredje mest använda metallen av människor i världen som vi känner den idag, enligt National Geographic. Furthermore, it can be recycled repeatedly without losing these essential properties, making it a very attractive resource for the industry and, therefore, a “candy” that organized gangs can sell at a good price with little effort.

En metall på frammarsch. Copper thefts in general, according to data from the investing.com portal provided by EFE, have multiplied by four in recent years, especially starting in 2021. Only three autonomous communities (Madrid, Andalusia and Castilla-La Mancha) suffered half of these thefts.

En av faktorerna som kan hjälpa till att förklara denna ökning är priset på detta material. På aktiemarknadsnivå är det ett hausseartat ögonblick just nu på finansmarknaderna. As Expansión explains, its prices have been breaking all records in recent years, exceeding $14,000 per ton, and so far in 2026 alone it has accumulated a 16% revaluation.

All of these are unpublished brands in the historical series of the “Copper Doctor”, named for its great value as a thermometer of the world economy. Lösning: mer säkerhet. To prevent this type of theft, as reported by El Periódico de la Energía, we are betting on the latest technology and the integration of surveillance systems 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Some solutions incorporate thermal cameras, capable of detecting intrusions even at night or with poor visibility, in combination with other types of intelligent devices that identify any change in the environment and allow action to be taken before damage occurs. Bild | Sungrow EMEA In Engadget | Copper is at its highest, so there are already criminal gangs raiding the cemeteries of Galicia to take it The news The solar plants in Spain have a problem: organized gangs of thieves who are stealing their copper was originally published in Xataka by Alexandra Ramírez.