Electricity Theft Problem and Effects of Privatization Policies on Distribution Losses of Turkey

In the last decade, the increasing of electric energy demand in Turkey has realized as 5.5% annually. This rapid increase in demand obliges the country to make energy investments continuously and ensure security of energy sources. In addition to energy investments, effective use of available resources is one of the most important components of sustainable development policies. In this study, technical and non-technical losses of power transmission and distribution systems and the size of these losses have been analyzed in Turkey. The effects of privatization for distribution services on such losses are presented by comparing them with analysis of statistical data. As a result of the study, it has been determined that the privatization process did not create a positive effect especially on zones using huge amount of illegal electrical energy. However, it has been determined that positive developments have occurred after the privatization at many distribution centers in terms of losses in general and the target values have been obtained. By considering that the privatization process was completed at the end of 2013, the scope and conclusions of this study can be developed further by obtaining the data for the future decade for more definite analysis.