The Ameren Missouri Callaway Energy Center continues to operate safely following Tuesday’s electrical flash in the switchyard. The switchyard is located outside of Callaway’s protected area. The incident resulted in four injuries – three were directly related to the flash. Injuries sustained by the fourth person were indirectly related and occurred in response to assisting those impacted by the flash. The injured are supplemental workers from Chicago Bridge & Iron.
Ameren Missouri is investigating the incident. The company’s first concern is the recovery and well-being of the workers, who sustained non-life threatening injuries. Out of respect for the privacy of those individuals and their families, Ameren Missouri isn’t providing details of their status and recovery.
The incident occurred in the switchyard – a large area that serves as a distribution point for the power generated at Callaway. The switchyard is approximately 300 yards – the equivalent of about three football fields – away from the power generating portion of the energy center. At no time during or following Tuesday’s incident were operations at Callaway impacted. In fact, Callaway has operated continuously since its last refueling, which ended in November 2011.
However, beginning next week, Callaway will begin its 19th planned refueling and maintenance outage. Refueling outages occur every 18 months and last for several weeks. Callaway Energy Center typically generates about 20 percent of the electricity supplied to Ameren Missouri’s 1.2 million customers. While out of service, the energy it produces will be replaced by other Ameren Missouri energy centers.
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Ameren Missouri has been providing electric and gas service for more than a century, and our electric rates are among the lowest in the nation. We serve 1.2 million electric and 127,000 natural gas customers in central and eastern Missouri. Our mission is to meet their energy needs in a safe, reliable, efficient and environmentally responsible manner. Our service area covers 63 counties and 500 towns, including the greater St. Louis area. For more information, visit AmerenMissouri.com.
CONTACT: Missouri Communications, 314.554.2182, missouricommunications@ameren.com