High copper prices are giving copper thieves new ideas. For example, several charging cables at fast chargers in Limburg were cut last weekend, leaving them unusable.

Similar damage cases were recorded in Houthalen-Helchteren, Heusden-Zolder, and Peer. The police and the public prosecutor’s office have started an investigation.

Record price levels

The copper price has risen sharply in recent years, reaching record levels in late 2025 and early 2026, with peaks above 13,000 euros per ton. Experts estimate that copper prices will remain high through 2026 due to growing demand for electrification, renewable energy, and AI infrastructure.

The first reports of copper thefts came from England. Then the phenomenon surfaced in Germany, followed by the Netherlands, France, and now Belgium. A few weeks ago, several cases were reported in Walloon Brabant, now in Limburg.

Fatal outcome

Germany reported more than 900 cable-theft cases across 130+ locations since the start of the year, with damages totaling millions of euros.

In Kinrooi (Belgium), one copper theft incident even had a fatal outcome when three suspected fishermen on the Maasplassen saw their boat sink with a heavy load of copper on board. One man (46) drowned, and two others (29 and 40) were rescued and later treated for hypothermia.

Metal thefts are typically high-risk, with limited loot and sometimes a fatal outcome (especially around water, heavy infrastructure, or electricity). Yet, it seems to be a real trend.

Who commits such thefts and why?

EV charging networks are expanding rapidly, creating many accessible targets at parking lots, carpool sites, or retail parks. It’s likely well-organized roving gangs, and they’re primarily targeting fast chargers because they have thicker cables that contain more copper. A theft like this at a charging station happens very quickly; it’s a matter of minutes.

The European rail sector has long warned that metal theft tends to shift to new fields when countermeasures harden old targets – exactly the kind of displacement we now see toward EV infrastructure.

Rail

Unfortunately, there is no consistent, EU-wide, and complete information about the amount of copper tonnage stolen. In 2022, Belgian rail recorded 466 cable thefts, causing 33,169 minutes of delay and costing about 7 million euros in repairs and disruption. Two years later, cable thefts dropped to 255.

Deutsche Bahn (Germany) reported around 450 metal-theft cases, and in France, losses from metal theft have been reported in the tens of millions of euros in some years.

Rail theft is the ‘classic’ high-impact category, but EV charging theft scales with network growth and can become a systemic nuisance for e-mobility if not mitigated.

EV charging infrastructure

There is no risk of electrocution because the devices are well protected, but the costs for the operator are high: not only the cost of new copper cable, but also the cost of repairs. Meanwhile, there’s no revenue from charging.

Some operators try to protect their charging stations with anti-theft cable protection; others add a colored pigment to the coolants in the cables, so the perpetrator gets a brightly colored shower when he strikes.

Typical AC charging cable contains roughly 1 to 3 kg of copper, resulting in a realistic resale value of 8 to 20 euros per cable. A DC fast-charging cable can contain 4 to 8 kg of copper, corresponding to a cost of 40 to 100 euros per cable.