PG&E Warns of Valentine’s Day Hazard, Urges Customers to Secure Metallic Balloons

SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–More metallic balloons are sold for Valentine’s Day than any other
holiday and, not surprisingly, it’s also around this time of year that
customers suffer from outages caused by unsecured metallic balloons
drifting into power lines. Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E)
reminds its customers as they celebrate their sweethearts to make sure
balloons are always tied to a weight – as
required by California law – and to never release them outdoors.

“Metallic balloons are conductors of electricity and pose a significant
threat to power lines if released into the air. It takes only one
metallic balloon to inconvenience thousands of customers, cause
significant property damage and potentially result in serious injuries,”
said Pat Hogan, Senior Vice President of Electric Operations at PG&E.

Last year, metallic balloons were the cause of 456 power outages across
PG&E’s service area in Northern and Central California, disrupting
electric service to more than 371,000 homes and businesses. Unlike latex
helium balloons, metallic balloons can stay inflated and floating for
two to three weeks – posing a hazard to power lines and equipment even
days after being released outside.

Floating metallic balloons resulted in outages throughout Northern and
Central California.

The top five cities for balloon-caused outages in 2017 are:

1. San Jose: 25
2. Fresno: 14
3. Oakland: 11
4.
Bakersfield: 11
5. San Francisco: 10

In 2016, 429 outages were caused by metallic balloons – a significant
spike from 2015 when 370 balloons disrupted electric service.

PG&E urges customers to follow these important safety tips for handling
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 done with balloons, do not release them. Puncture them several
  times or cut the knot and throw them in the garbage to prevent them
  from floating away.
• Do not attempt to retrieve a balloon — or any foreign object — tangled
  in power lines or inside a substation. Instead, 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 away, keep others away and immediately
  call 911 to alert the police and fire departments.

About PG&E

Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E
Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas
and electric energy companies in the United States. Based in San
Francisco, with more than 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of
the nation’s cleanest energy to nearly 16 million people in Northern and
Central California. For more information, visit www.pge.com/
and www.pge.com/en/about/newsroom/index.page.

Contacts

PG&E Corporation
Media Relations, 415-973-5930