Hockley Electric System Improvements

Building a More Reliable, Resilient Energy Future For Our Hockley Customers

CenterPoint Energy is committed to building a stronger, more reliable, more resilient energy future for Hockley families, local businesses and the region. As part of this effort, we are investing in new electric infrastructure, including five miles of transmission lines and a new substation, that will be capable of withstanding more extreme weather and supporting future economic growth, while also meeting the growing energy needs of the Hockley area.

These vital improvement projects in and around the Hockley area include:

Strengthening Resiliency to Withstand Extreme Weather

As part of our Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative to strengthen the grid against more extreme weather, we are installing stronger, more storm-resilient poles, clearing high-risk vegetation near power lines and installing automation devices to improve restoration times. This work will help avoid 19 million outage minutes a year system-wide during a Beryl-like storm.

Improving Reliability and Modernizing the Grid

To help improve day-to-day reliability, we are making a series of vital electric investments to reduce outage minutes by 104,000 a year, including:

Undergrounding approximately 5+ miles of electric distribution lines
Hardening 7+ miles of transmission infrastructure

Building Energy Capacity to Meet Future Economic Growth

To support future economic growth and meet the growing energy needs of local businesses in and around Hockley, we are:

Building 1 new substation
Building approximately 5+ miles of high-voltage transmission lines

Keep reading to learn more about our Hockley Transmission Project and see where we are proposing this work.

Hockley Transmission Project: What We're Planning

Meeting the needs of the energy future while also providing meaningful benefits for the Hockley area is a vital part of our local improvement efforts. The array of benefits include:

Improving Storm Resiliency: Reducing the impact of powerful winter storms and hurricanes is a critical priority. By improving local storm resiliency, the local energy grid will be able to withstand more extreme weather, including hurricane-force winds up to 140 mph, thereby reducing the risk of storm-related outages.
Strengthening Community Services: Local investments in Hockley will provide approximately $400,000 each year in additional tax revenue which will help support more investments in local schools and other community services.
Enabling New Jobs: From building new transmission towers and a substation, this vital infrastructure will support construction jobs throughout the project, as well as permanent, high-paying local jobs – now and in the future.
Empowering the Hockley Economy: Throughout construction, we will be working with a variety of local small businesses throughout the project to help ensure that we are supporting the growth of the local economy.

How We Are Using Your Input

Hearing the diverse views of the Hockley community matters to us. In fact, it is vital to the shared success of this infrastructure improvement project. If you are a property owner within the study area (see below), your views and understanding of the local community are helping us determine potential transmission line routes and a substation location.

Why is local feedback and your input so important? The project study map (see below) includes 19 different segments that may be combined into several potential route options, but only one route will be constructed. Currently, feedback that has been provided by community members is helping to inform the route proposal that we will submit to the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) by this summer. If you still wish to provide new feedback on this project, please complete our online feedback form.

Please know that once a project application has been submitted to the PUCT, any impacted property owners and local stakeholders will have an additional opportunity to provide comments and feedback.

If you have questions about this project, please reach out to us at HockleyTransmissionProject@CenterPointEnergy.com or call 713-207-7858.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please know that no final route has been selected. No final decision will be made by the Public Utility Commission of Texas without considering local input from property owners and the community.

You're Invited

We hope you can join us at our upcoming Hockley open house on June 6 for an additional opportunity to learn about our local electric improvement efforts, answer your questions and share feedback with our team. Your input is vital to helping us shape the design of this project and will be added to the valuable feedback we received at our two previous Hockley community events held in April.

Hockley Community Open House

Date: Saturday, June 6
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (drop by anytime!)
Where: Hockley Community Center
28515 Old Washington Rd.
Hockley, TX 77447

The local input we gather at this event will be added to the invaluable feedback received during our open house and webinar hosted in April, as well as our project email and online feedback form (open through June 13).

You can view the materials we shared at our Hockley April open house and webinar in the Resources section below.

Key Project Milestones

From local community events to key project dates, we are committed to keeping you informed of important milestones throughout this project. Below is a summary of important dates and milestones:

**Please remember: After local feedback is gathered and analyzed over the coming weeks as part of the route planning process, the Public Utility Commission of Texas will ultimately determine the final route.

Resources

CCN Application Documents (Docket #00000)

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is this project needed?

This project is designed to meet increased demand and local economic growth, while building a more resilient and reliable energy system in Hockley, capable of better withstanding extreme weather. This critical infrastructure project will bring significant benefits to the Hockley area, like improving resiliency against storms and hurricanes, strengthening community services by providing approximately $400,000 each year in property taxes, enabling new jobs in the community, and supporting the local economy by working with local vendors and small businesses throughout construction.

Are you planning to buy land to complete this project?

We are in the initial planning phase of this project and it is too early to say. Please know that we deeply respect private landowners and property rights. Our focus right now is on gathering feedback and taking the time needed to answer your questions. If your property is impacted, our priorities will be:

Working together to discuss options.
Relying on independent, professional appraisals.
Reaching agreements through good faith negotiations and partnership.

What can I expect during construction?

We are still in the initial planning phase of this project, and there are many important steps before construction begins, anticipated in late 2027. When the construction phase begins, community members may expect to see:

Pre-construction activities include building access roads, marking utility and pole locations with flags and stakes, and removing trees and vegetation as needed;
Crews assembling and installing new poles and wires during construction and, once complete, testing and energizing new electrical equipment;
Vital safety measures in place at all times, which may include fenced work areas and traffic control;
Restoration of public roads and properties to like-kind conditions when construction is complete.

How will this impact the local environment, landscape or natural resources like water?

We are committed to protecting sensitive environmental areas and species, including bodies of water and wetlands, where possible. As part of our outreach efforts, we are working closely with local leaders and community members to identify areas and factors such as public and private parks, historic sites, existing infrastructure, wildlife, vegetation, water quality, soils and geology, among others. We will incorporate all this information and feedback as we prepare an environmental assessment and route analysis as part of our public application to state regulators.

How is CenterPoint ensuring the health and safety of local residents?

The health and safety of the Hockley community is our number one priority. We know some of our customers may have questions regarding Electric and Magnetic Fields (EMF) and we are committed to working with them. Common sources of EMF include home and office wiring, power lines and electrical appliances. As part of our commitment to our customers, CenterPoint offers free Electric and Magnetic Fields testing at your home or business. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please visit CenterPointEnergy.com/EMF.

Hockley Electric System​ Improvements​