New Balloon Safety Law to Make Celebrating with Metallic Balloons Safer, Reduce Balloon-Caused Power Outages for Customers
November 03 2022 - 4:10PM
Business Wire
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) expressed support
for a new metallic balloon law that will enhance the safety of
PG&E employees, customers and hometowns. Governor Newsom signed
Assembly Bill (AB) 847 which allows mylar or metallic balloons to
be sold in California only if those balloons do not cause
electrical faults when making contact with overhead distribution
lines.
Metallic balloons conduct electricity and can pose a significant
threat to public safety if released into the air. If they float
into powerlines, they can disrupt electric service to an entire
neighborhood, cause significant property damage and potentially
result in serious injuries.
Here’s an example of what can happen when metallic balloons
become loose and hit utility power lines.
Specifically, the new law requires balloons sold in the state
after 2027 to meet Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineer
standards. The standard requires that balloons must not be
conductive at distribution voltages up to 38 kilovolts (kV). Of the
47 fires caused by metallic balloons in 2020-2021, 44 (90%)
occurred on powerlines with voltage below 35 kV. Those fires could
have been prevented under the new law.
“Balloon-caused outages have been on the rise in recent years
and have the potential to cause ignitions when interacting with
electrical assets. This legislation will help minimize that risk
and is part of our unwavering focus on keeping our customers and
our hometowns safe,” said Sumeet Singh, PG&E Executive Vice
President and Chief Risk and Safety Officer.
Metallic balloon-related outages can pose a wildfire risk. In
2015, a metallic balloon coming into contact with overhead lines
sparked the Webb Fire in Butte County which burned 75 acres. Since
2018, the number of balloon-related ignitions has increased in
frequency.
Balloon-related outages also impact electric reliability. In
2021, metallic balloons that drifted into PG&E power lines
caused more than 600 outages, a 27 percent increase from the
previous year and the highest number of balloon-related outages
that PG&E has seen in a decade.
Thanks to the new legislation, sales of non-compliant
celebratory balloons would be banned after January 1, 2027. In the
meantime, PG&E reminds customers to follow these important
safety tips for metallic balloons:
- “Look Up and Live!" Use caution and avoid celebrating with
metallic balloons near overhead electric lines.
- Make sure helium-filled metallic balloons are securely tied to
a weight that is heavy enough to prevent them from floating away.
Never remove the weight.
- When possible, keep metallic balloons indoors. Never permit
metallic balloons to be released outside, for everyone's
safety.
- Do not bundle metallic balloons together.
- Never attempt to retrieve any type of balloon, kite, drone or
toy that becomes caught in a power line. Leave it alone, and
immediately call PG&E at 1-800-743-5000 to report the
problem.
- Never go near a power line that has fallen to the ground or is
dangling in the air. Always assume downed electric lines are
energized and extremely dangerous. Stay far away, keep others away
and immediately call 911 to alert the police and fire departments.
Other tips can be found at pge.com/beprepared
- Visit our Safety Action Center for balloon safety graphics and
more safety tips:
https://www.safetyactioncenter.pge.com/articles/44-celebrate-safely
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E
Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is a combined natural gas and electric
utility serving more than 16 million people across 70,000 square
miles in Northern and Central California. For more information,
visit www.pge.com/ and http://www.pge.com/about/newsroom/.
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