At the De Vlaas solar park in Deurne, a hundred kilometers of copper cable was stolen at the end of May. That is about 5000 kilos and the damage runs into the tons. The park is still out of use. Due to the high copper price, solar parks have recently become increasingly victims of copper thieves, which is why they are sounding the alarm.
According to Holland Solar, the cooperation of companies in solar energy, copper thefts are really starting to become a problem. That is what the organization hears from many members. Recently, large copper thefts were also plagued at parks in Drenthe and Friesland, among others.
“Such a theft is a big job.”
According to chairman Harry Hannink of De Vlaas, the theft was discovered by the sheep farmer who grazes a herd on the site. “He saw that the gate had been broken open and that there were cables. These were cut cables that could provide 1200 volts of power.”
According to the chairman, several people must have been involved in the theft. “Because something like that is a big job.” He thinks that there is an internationally active gang behind it. “They mainly cut out the easy-to-steal parts.”
“Repairing the damage could take weeks.”
The board of De Vlaas is now requesting quotes for repairing the damage and is also waiting for the insurance. “Repair will then take weeks. It is very annoying that this park is shut down during the best days of the year.”
The board is considering how such a theft can be prevented in the future. “But that’s not easy.”
“We say nothing about our measures not to give thieves ideas.”
According to the Dutch Sustainable Energy Association, the copper price is high because much more sustainable energy is being generated. Director Olof van der Gaag: “That requires a lot of new copper cables, thousands of kilometers. Unfortunately, we see that some people are trying to make a business out of it illegally.”
There are no national figures on copper theft, but energy company Eneco recognizes that more copper is being stolen in solar parks. TenneT, which manages the high-voltage grid, is also hit by thefts. “We say nothing about our measures not to give thieves ideas.”
“Maybe put on signs that there’s no buyer here.”
At De ZonneWIJde in Breda, they are not bothered by copper thieves. As little copper as possible was used there, says Ludo Ansems. “That has been thought about, yes. A different metal has been chosen, I mean aluminum.”
But that does not mean that De ZonneWIJde does not run any risks. “If people think they can find copper here, they can still do a lot of damage. I think we should put up signs that say there is no copper here.”