Electricity thieves leave less for the rest. The amount of electricity not paid for has to be reduced, or Albania may find itself with a serious shortage. In some areas, meters are broken, defective or missing. In the Shkoder region in the north, for example, only half the consumers have meters, and the majority of those are broken. Also, external wires can by altered and illegal connections made.
Inspection is the key.
The government will treat electricity theft as a crime and make sure that the inspectors are backed up by the police. Each major inspection team will get a vehicle, a portable radio system, equipment to detect tampering, and a camera to bring back evidence. Broken and faulty meters will be replaced by new, current-limiting meters enclosed in a plastic case with a sophisticated seal. All this will be explained in a publicity campaign, emphasizing that electricity is not a right, but has to be paid for, and that theft leads to serious consequences. IDA's assistance to Albania gives high priority to rehabilitating poor infrastructure, particularly electricity infrastructure.