With spring marking a season of graduations and festive gatherings, Ameren is urging customers to celebrate safely by avoiding the release of Mylar balloons near power lines. These shiny, metallic balloons may look harmless but can conduct electricity, leading to power surges, equipment damage, and even fires when they come into contact with electrical infrastructure.
Since 2021, Ameren has responded to more than 170 balloon-related outages, affecting over 14,000 customers and averaging 111 minutes of service disruption per incident. Beyond the inconvenience, the balloons pose serious risks to utility crews working on high-voltage lines, prompting renewed safety warnings as spring celebrations increase.
“We’re not trying to be the balloon police. We understand that this is a time for celebrating graduations, weddings, birthdays, and spring holidays,” said Patrick Smith, senior vice president of operations and technical services for Ameren Illinois. “We want to remind everyone to keep balloons tethered and weighted during use, and properly puncture and dispose of them afterward to prevent them from escaping and causing issues with our power lines and substations.”
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