On December 5, 2019 while conducting routine meter inspections in Koror, PPUC meter technicians discovered two (2) illegal connections. Below are pictures and descriptions of these connections.
Illegal Connection # 1
Even with the meter displaying a reading of 0 kWh, customer still had power. Inside the meter socket, the customer bypassed the PPUC meter and connected jumper wires (marked in yellow) on both line sides of the meter socket. Therefore, electricity being sent to the customer was not registering on the meter. When technicians removed the meter from the meter socket, there was still power on the customer’s side. PPUC personnel disconnected power to this specific customer and advised him to fix his wirings and pay for the fines before services can be reconnected. Actual amperes from the drop line of the customer: L1= 5.6 A, L2= 12.7 A and L3= 7.4 A.
Illegal Connection # 2
The jumper wires marked with red circles are connected to the service wires going to the house. Therefore, the customer was receiving power even without a meter in place. Power was also disconnected and customer was advised to properly fix his wirings and to pay for all related charges including the tampering fee before reconnection of services.
Actual amperes from the customer’s drop line: L1= 11.5 A, L2= 12.6 and N= 1A.
Meter tampering and unauthorized connection remain a serious problem in Palau. The most common type of illegal connection is bypassing the meter as confirmed by meter technicians.
Any person(s) caught tampering or illegally connected to PPUC’s services will be charged certain fees following the Tariff schedule. Meter inspection continue to be a priority for PPUC but we need additional help from the community. Please help stop water and energy theft by calling 488-3870/72 to report any cases.