CenterPoint Energy announces executive leadership team for combined company following close of pending Vectren merger
Leadership team will advance the company's vision to lead the nation in delivering energy, service and value
2019-06-14T05:00:00Z

HOUSTON, Dec. 3, 2018 - CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) today announced the executive team that will lead the combined company following the close of the pending merger with Vectren Corporation (NYSE: VVC), which is expected in the first quarter of 2019.

CenterPoint Energy logo. (PRNewsFoto)

As previously announced, at the closing of the merger CenterPoint Energy President and Chief Executive Officer Scott M. Prochazka will be appointed to the same role for the combined company. The combined company will be named CenterPoint Energy, headquartered in Houston and execute a unified business strategy focused on the safe and reliable delivery of electricity, natural gas and related services to customers.

"This talented and experienced group of leaders is uniquely qualified to drive value for our shareholders, customers, employees and communities, while enhancing growth opportunities for our businesses," said CenterPoint Energy President and Chief Executive Officer Scott M. Prochazka. "I look forward to working alongside this team to further advance our vision to lead the nation in delivering energy, service and value."

The following leaders will be members of the company's executive leadership team, reporting to Prochazka as of the close of the transaction. Unless otherwise noted, the leaders will be based in Houston.

Tracy Bridge, currently CenterPoint Energy's executive vice president and president, Electric Division, will lead the company's Texas electric utility business. He will be responsible for electric transmission, distribution, electric engineering and power delivery solutions in the greater Houston area. Bridge will also oversee the company's technology operations and enterprise-wide safety and training programs.

Lynnae K. Wilson, currently Vectren's vice president, Energy Delivery, will lead the company's Indiana electric utility business. She will be responsible for power generation operations and construction, transmission and distribution operations, electric engineering, Midwest Independent System Operator (MISO) and wholesale power marketing, key account management, and integrated resource planning. Wilson will be based in Evansville, Ind.

Scott E. Doyle, currently CenterPoint Energy's senior vice president, Natural Gas Distribution, will lead the company's natural gas utility business. He will be responsible for the company's eight-state natural gas operations utility footprint, natural gas supply, natural gas engineering, and operations support. In addition, Doyle will oversee the enterprise customer organization, including utility sales and marketing. He will be based in Evansville, Ind.

Joseph (Joe) J. Vortherms, currently senior vice president of CenterPoint Energy Services, will lead the company's competitive businesses, including natural gas supply and sales, commercial development and marketing, and Vectren's Miller Pipeline, Minnesota Limited and Energy Systems Group.

Dana O'Brien, currently CenterPoint Energy's senior vice president and general counsel, will lead the company's legal organization. She will be responsible for regulatory and government affairs, corporate and securities, litigation, audit, corporate responsibility, the corporate secretary role, and ethics, compliance and privacy. O'Brien will also have oversight of environmental and claims.

Sue Ortenstone, currently CenterPoint Energy's senior vice president and chief human resources officer, will lead the company's human resources organization. She will have responsibility for talent, compensation and benefits, labor relations, and enterprise communications and community relations. Ortenstone will also have oversight of facilities and security, as well as the charitable foundation.

Kenneth (Kenny) Mercado, currently CenterPoint Energy's integration officer, will serve as the company's integration lead. He will lead the company's integration implementation, including process improvement, change leadership, the technology integration management office, and strategic sourcing and purchasing.

The company also announced that William (Bill) D. Rogers, currently CenterPoint Energy's executive vice president and chief financial officer, plans to retire for personal and family reasons. He will remain in his current role through the first quarter of 2019 to help ensure a seamless closing of the pending merger and transition to his successor.

"I want to thank Bill for his invaluable contributions and commitment to CenterPoint Energy," said Prochazka. "He has been a valued member of the executive leadership team and played an instrumental role in driving our strategy to advance functional excellence within the finance organization and grow our businesses as we strive to better serve our customers' needs. Bill also played a key role in our pending merger with Vectren. Thanks to Bill's leadership and dedication, CenterPoint Energy is well positioned for the future."

In preparation for the completion of the merger, CenterPoint Energy and Vectren continue to work on integration planning. Until the close of the transaction, CenterPoint Energy and Vectren will operate as two separate companies under their current leadership structures.

CenterPoint Energy, Inc., headquartered in Houston, Texas, is a domestic energy delivery company that includes electric transmission & distribution, natural gas distribution and energy services operations. The company serves more than five million metered customers primarily in Arkansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas. The company also owns 54.0 percent of the common units representing limited partner interests in Enable Midstream Partners, a publicly traded master limited partnership it jointly controls with OGE Energy Corp. Enable Midstream Partners owns, operates and develops natural gas and crude oil infrastructure assets. With more than 8,000 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 150 years. For more information, please visit www.CenterPointEnergy.com.

Forward-Looking Statement

The statements in this press release contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this press release are forward-looking statements made in good faith by us and are intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  When used in this press release, the words "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "goal," "intend," "may," "objective," "plan," "potential," "predict," "projection," "should," "target," "will" or other similar words are intended to identify forward-looking statements.  Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to: (1) CenterPoint Energy's proposed acquisition of Vectren, (2) CenterPoint Energy's post-merger leadership team and timing of any leadership changes and (3) the completion and expected timing of completion of the proposed transactions.

Risks Related to the Merger

Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the provided forward-looking information include risks and uncertainties relating to:

(1) the risk that CenterPoint Energy or Vectren may be unable to obtain regulatory approvals required for the proposed transactions, or that required regulatory approvals or agreements with other parties interested therein may delay the proposed transactions or may be subject to or impose adverse conditions or costs, (2) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the proposed transactions or could otherwise cause the failure of the proposed transactions to close, (3) the risk that a condition to the closing of the proposed transactions or the committed financing may not be satisfied, (4) the outcome of any legal proceedings, regulatory proceedings or enforcement matters that may be instituted relating to the proposed transactions, (5) the receipt of an unsolicited offer from another party to acquire assets or capital stock of Vectren that could interfere with the proposed transactions, (6) the timing to consummate the proposed transactions, (7) the costs incurred to consummate the proposed transactions, (8) the possibility that the expected cost savings, synergies or other value creation from the proposed transactions will not be realized, or will not be realized within the expected time period, (9) the risk that the companies may not realize fair values from properties that may be required to be sold in connection with the merger, (10) the credit ratings of the companies following the proposed transactions, (11) disruption from the proposed transactions making it more difficult to maintain relationships with customers, employees, regulators or suppliers, and (12) the diversion of management time and attention on the proposed transactions.

Risks Related to CenterPoint Energy

Important factors related to CenterPoint Energy, its affiliates, and its and their operations that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the provided forward-looking information include risks and uncertainties relating to: (1) the performance of Enable Midstream Partners, LP (Enable), the amount of cash distributions CenterPoint Energy receives from Enable, Enable's ability to redeem the Series A Preferred Units in certain circumstances and the value of CenterPoint Energy's interest in Enable, and factors that may have a material impact on such performance, cash distributions and value, including factors such as: (A) competitive conditions in the midstream industry, and actions taken by Enable's customers and competitors, including the extent and timing of the entry of additional competition in the markets served by Enable; (B) the timing and extent of changes in the supply of natural gas and associated commodity prices, particularly prices of natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGLs), the competitive effects of the available pipeline capacity in the regions served by Enable, and the effects of geographic and seasonal commodity price differentials, including the effects of these circumstances on re-contracting available capacity on Enable's interstate pipelines; (C) the demand for crude oil, natural gas, NGLs and transportation and storage services; (D) environmental and other governmental regulations, including the availability of drilling permits and the regulation of hydraulic fracturing; (E) recording of non-cash goodwill, long-lived asset or other than temporary impairment charges by or related to Enable; (F) changes in tax status; (G) access to debt and equity capital; and (H) the availability and prices of raw materials and services for current and future construction projects; (2) industrial, commercial and residential growth in CenterPoint Energy's service territories and changes in market demand, including the effects of energy efficiency measures and demographic patterns; (3) timely and appropriate rate actions that allow recovery of costs and a reasonable return on investment; (4) future economic conditions in regional and national markets and their effect on sales, prices and costs; (5) weather variations and other natural phenomena, including the impact of severe weather events on operations and capital; (6) state and federal legislative and regulatory actions or developments affecting various aspects of CenterPoint Energy's and Enable's businesses, including, among others, energy deregulation or re-regulation, pipeline integrity and safety and changes in regulation and legislation pertaining to trade, health care, finance and actions regarding the rates charged by our regulated businesses; (7) tax reform and legislation, including the effects of the comprehensive tax reform legislation informally referred to as the TCJA and uncertainties involving state commissions' and local municipalities' regulatory requirements and determinations regarding the treatment of excess deferred taxes and CenterPoint Energy's rates; (8) CenterPoint Energy's ability to mitigate weather impacts through normalization or rate mechanisms, and the effectiveness of such mechanisms; (9) the timing and extent of changes in commodity prices, particularly natural gas, and the effects of geographic and seasonal commodity price differentials; (10) problems with regulatory approval, construction, implementation of necessary technology or other issues with respect to major capital projects that result in delays or in cost overruns that cannot be recouped in rates; (11) local, state and federal legislative and regulatory actions or developments relating to the environment, including those related to global climate change; (12) the impact of unplanned facility outages; (13) any direct or indirect effects on CenterPoint Energy's facilities, operations and financial condition resulting from terrorism, cyber-attacks, data security breaches or other attempts to disrupt CenterPoint Energy's businesses or the businesses of third parties, or other catastrophic events such as fires, earthquakes, explosions, leaks, floods, droughts, hurricanes, pandemic health events or other occurrences; (14) CenterPoint Energy's ability to invest planned capital and the timely recovery of CenterPoint Energy's investment in capital; (15) CenterPoint Energy's ability to control operation and maintenance costs; (16) actions by credit rating agencies; (17) the sufficiency of CenterPoint Energy's insurance coverage, including availability, cost, coverage and terms; (18) the investment performance of CenterPoint Energy's pension and postretirement benefit plans; (19) commercial bank and financial market conditions, CenterPoint Energy's access to capital, the cost of such capital, and the results of CenterPoint Energy's financing and refinancing efforts, including availability of funds in the debt capital markets; (20) changes in interest rates and their impact on CenterPoint Energy's costs of borrowing and the valuation of its pension benefit obligation; (21) changes in rates of inflation; (22) inability of various counterparties to meet their obligations to CenterPoint Energy; (23) non-payment for CenterPoint Energy's services due to financial distress of its customers; (24) the extent and effectiveness of CenterPoint Energy's risk management and hedging activities, including, but not limited to, its financial and weather hedges; (25) timely and appropriate regulatory actions allowing securitization for any future hurricanes or natural disasters or other recovery of costs, including costs associated with Hurricane Harvey; (26) CenterPoint Energy's or Enable's potential business strategies and strategic initiatives, including restructurings, joint ventures and acquisitions or dispositions of assets or businesses (including a reduction of CenterPoint Energy's interests in Enable, whether through its decision to sell all or a portion of the Enable common units it owns in the public equity markets or otherwise, subject to certain limitations), which CenterPoint Energy cannot assure will be completed or will have the anticipated benefits to it or Enable; (27) acquisition and merger activities involving CenterPoint Energy or its competitors; (28) CenterPoint Energy's or Enable's ability to recruit, effectively transition and retain management and key employees and maintain good labor relations; (29) the ability of GenOn Energy, Inc. (formerly known as RRI Energy, Inc., Reliant Energy and RRI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of NRG Energy, Inc. (NRG), and its subsidiaries, currently the subject of bankruptcy proceedings, to satisfy their obligations to CenterPoint Energy, including indemnity obligations; (30) the outcome of litigation; (31) the ability of retail electric providers (REPs), including REP affiliates of NRG and Vistra Energy Corp., formerly known as TCEH Corp., to satisfy their obligations to CenterPoint Energy and its subsidiaries; (32) changes in technology, particularly with respect to efficient battery storage or the emergence or growth of new, developing or alternative sources of generation; (33) the timing and outcome of any audits, disputes and other proceedings related to taxes; (34) the effective tax rates; and (35) the effect of changes in and application of accounting standards and pronouncements.

Risks Related to Vectren

Important factors related to Vectren, its affiliates, and its and their operations that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the provided forward-looking information include risks and uncertainties relating to:

(1) factors affecting utility operations such as unfavorable or unusual weather conditions; catastrophic weather-related damage; unusual maintenance or repairs; unanticipated changes to coal and natural gas costs; unanticipated changes to gas transportation and storage costs, or availability due to higher demand, shortages, transportation problems or other developments; environmental or pipeline incidents; transmission or distribution incidents; unanticipated changes to electric energy supply costs, or availability due to demand, shortages, transmission problems or other developments; or electric transmission or gas pipeline system constraints, (2) new or proposed legislation, litigation and government regulation or other actions, such as changes in, rescission of or additions to tax laws or rates, pipeline safety regulation and environmental laws and regulations, including laws governing air emissions, carbon, waste water discharges and the handling and disposal of coal combustion residuals that could impact the continued operation, and/or cost recovery of generation plant costs and related assets; compliance with respect to these regulations could substantially change the operation and nature of Vectren's utility operations, (3) catastrophic events such as fires, earthquakes, explosions, floods, ice storms, tornadoes, terrorist acts, physical attacks, cyber attacks, or other similar occurrences could adversely affect Vectren's facilities, operations, financial condition, results of operations, and reputation, (4) approval and timely recovery of new capital investments related to the electric generation transition plan, including timely approval to build and own generation, ability to meet capacity requirements, ability to procure resources needed to build new generation at a reasonable cost, ability to appropriately estimate costs of new generation, the effects of construction delays and cost overruns, ability to fully recover the investments made in retiring portions of the current generation fleet, scarcity of resources and labor, and workforce retention, development and training, (5) increased competition in the energy industry, including the effects of industry restructuring, unbundling, and other sources of energy, (6) regulatory factors such as uncertainty surrounding the composition of state regulatory commissions, adverse regulatory changes, unanticipated changes in rate-setting policies or procedures, recovery of investments and costs made under regulation, interpretation of regulatory-related legislation by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission and/or Public Utilities Commission of Ohio and appellate courts that review decisions issued by the agencies, and the frequency and timing of rate increases, (7) financial, regulatory or accounting principles or policies imposed by the Financial Accounting Standards Board; the SEC; the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; state public utility commissions; state entities which regulate electric and natural gas transmission and distribution, natural gas gathering and processing, electric power supply; and similar entities with regulatory oversight, (8) economic conditions including the effects of inflation, commodity prices, and monetary fluctuations, (9) economic conditions, including increased potential for lower levels of economic activity; uncertainty regarding energy prices and the capital and commodity markets; volatile changes in the demand for natural gas, electricity, and other nonutility products and services; economic impacts of changes in business strategy on both gas and electric large customers; lower residential and commercial customer counts; variance from normal population growth and changes in customer mix; higher operating expenses; and reductions in the value of investments, (10) volatile natural gas and coal commodity prices and the potential impact on customer consumption, uncollectible accounts expense, unaccounted for gas and interest expense, (11) volatile oil prices and the potential impact on customer consumption and price of other fuel commodities, (12) direct or indirect effects on Vectren's business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations resulting from changes in credit ratings, changes in interest rates, and/or changes in market perceptions of the utility industry and other energy-related industries, (13) the performance of projects undertaken by Vectren's nonutility businesses and the success of efforts to realize value from, invest in and develop new opportunities, including but not limited to, Vectren Infrastructure Services Company, Vectren Energy Services Company, and remaining ProLiance Holdings, LLC assets, (14) factors affecting Infrastructure Services, including the level of success in bidding contracts; fluctuations in volume and mix of contracted work; mix of projects received under blanket contracts; unanticipated cost increases in completion of the contracted work; funding requirements associated with multiemployer pension and benefit plans; changes in legislation and regulations impacting the industries in which the customers served operate; the effects of weather; failure to properly estimate the cost to construct projects; the ability to attract and retain qualified employees in a fast growing market where skills are critical; cancellation and/or reductions in the scope of projects by customers; credit worthiness of customers; ability to obtain materials and equipment required to perform services; and changing market conditions, including changes in the market prices of oil and natural gas that would affect the demand for infrastructure construction, (15) factors affecting Energy Services, including unanticipated cost increases in completion of the contracted work; changes in legislation and regulations impacting the industries in which the customers served operate; changes in economic influences impacting customers served; failure to properly estimate the cost to construct projects; risks associated with projects owned or operated; failure to appropriately design, construct, or operate projects; the ability to attract and retain qualified employees; cancellation and/or reductions in the scope of projects by customers; changes in the timing of being awarded projects; credit worthiness of customers; lower energy prices negatively impacting the economics of performance contracting business; and changing market conditions, (16) employee or contractor workforce factors including changes in key executives, collective bargaining agreements with union employees, aging workforce issues, work stoppages, or pandemic illness, (17) risks associated with material business transactions such as acquisitions and divestitures, including, without limitation, legal and regulatory delays; the related time and costs of implementing such transactions; integrating operations as part of these transactions; and possible failures to achieve expected gains, revenue growth and/or expense savings from such transactions, and (18) costs, fines, penalties and other effects of legal and administrative proceedings, settlements, investigations, claims, including, but not limited to, such matters involving compliance with federal and state laws and interpretations of these laws.

The foregoing list of factors is not all-inclusive because it is not possible to predict all factors, and any and all differences between the  risk factors under the headings "Risks Related to CenterPoint Energy" or "Risks Related to Vectren," except where context dictates otherwise, are not intended to be, and should not be read as, a representation, warranty, statement, affirmation or acknowledgement of any kind by CenterPoint Energy, Vectren or their respective affiliates that  any risk factors present under one heading, but absent under the other, are not potential risk factors for CenterPoint Energy or Vectren, or their respective affiliates, as applicable. Furthermore, it may not be possible to assess the impact of any such factor on CenterPoint Energy's or Vectren's respective businesses or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement.  Additional risks and uncertainties will be discussed in other materials that CenterPoint Energy and Vectren will file with the SEC in connection with the proposed transactions. Other risk factors are detailed from time to time in CenterPoint Energy's and Vectren's annual reports on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC, but any specific factors that may be provided should not be construed as exhaustive.  Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of the particular statement. While we believe these forward-looking statements to be reasonable, there can be no assurance that they will approximate actual experience or that the expectations derived from them will be realized. Further, we undertake no obligation to update or revise any of our forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

For more information contact
Media:
Leticia Lowe
Phone 713.207.7702
Investors:
Dave Mordy
Phone 713.207.6500

 

SOURCE CenterPoint Energy, Inc.

 Recent News

 

 
CenterPoint Energy activates Emergency Operations Center ahead of forecasted severe weather across the Greater Houston area this afternoon and through the weekend

Company continues monitoring forecasts and preparing for three days of potential strong thunderstorms, with heavy rain, flooding and strong winds of 40 - 50 mph

More than 1,600 personnel ready to respond and support potential restoration efforts

HOUSTON – May 8, 2026 – With potentially severe weather forecasted to impact the Greater Houston area starting this afternoon and continuing through Saturday and Sunday night, CenterPoint Energy has proactively activated its Emergency Operations Center. More than 1,600 frontline employees and contractors are prepared to respond, as the company continues to closely monitor forecasts, coordinate with emergency management partners and position resources to support safe and timely response to any potential impacts to electric and natural gas service.

Thunderstorms are forecasted to impact parts of the Greater Houston area mainly north of I-10 starting this afternoon and continuing through the evening and into Saturday morning. Weather models also show potential rounds of stronger thunderstorms on Saturday evening and overnight Sunday night into Monday morning. CenterPoint's Meteorology team continues to diligently monitor evolving forecasts and help optimize response plans throughout the weekend.

“Our crews are prepared to respond to any impacts to our system. If any outages from weather occur, our crews will be out inspecting damage and restoring customers as soon as it's safe to do so" said Jason Fabre, CenterPoint's Vice President of Special Response and Incident Commander. “We've been actively monitoring forecasts all week and have activated our Emergency Operations Center to coordinate resources and continue tracking weather models and adjusting response plans as needed. We urge customers to stay aware of evolving weather conditions and have a plan to stay safe."

Prepared for Severe Weather: Key Actions
As part of its storm preparedness efforts, CenterPoint is taking the following actions:

  • Readying the company's workforce and resources: Preparing more than 1,600 personnel to support potential restoration efforts.
  • Activating Emergency Operations Center: To coordinate storm response efforts, the company has proactively activated its Emergency Operations Center. 
  • Monitoring severe weather 24/7: The Meteorology team continues to track weather forecast developments, and the company is updating response efforts as conditions evolve.
  • Coordinating with local officials: CenterPoint is reaching out to local officials and emergency management partners to provide updates on continued preparedness efforts.

What customers should do:

  • Sign up for Power Alert Service®: Get outage updates and restoration times.
  • Track outages: Bookmark the Outage Tracker (available in English & Spanish and mobile-friendly) to see outage information in your area.
  • Stay safe: Visit Ready.gov for storm safety tips.

About CenterPoint Energy, Inc.  
As the only investor owned electric and gas utility based in Texas, CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) is an energy delivery company with electric transmission and distribution, power generation and natural gas distribution operations that serve more than 7 million metered customers in Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Texas. As of March 31, 2026, the company owned approximately $47.8 billion in assets. With approximately 8,800 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com.

CenterPoint Energy joins local hurricane season preparedness events in Fort Bend and Montgomery Counties to continue strengthening community resiliency across the Greater Houston area

As part of Hurricane Preparedness Week, CenterPoint will be sharing how the company is preparing for hurricane season and extreme weather events as well as important safety tips, preparedness resources and customer tools at disaster and emergency preparedness events

HOUSTON — May 8, 2026 — The first week of May is National Hurricane Preparedness Week, and CenterPoint Energy is teaming up with community organizations, emergency response agencies and public officials for disaster and emergency preparedness events across the Greater Houston area this weekend. These free events will feature giveaways, safety demonstrations and resources to help customers make a plan and prepare ahead of Atlantic hurricane season, which officially starts on June 1.  

“With the 2026 hurricane season arriving soon, we want our customers and communities to know that CenterPoint has a plan in place to address extreme weather events and that everyday our frontline teams are working hard to harden our electric infrastructure with more storm-resilient poles, more miles of higher risk vegetation removed, and more automation to help us restore customer outages quicker. As we all continue preparing for the 2026 hurricane season and the rest of the year, CenterPoint is proud to join these critical preparedness events alongside our emergency management partners and community organizations, reinforcing our shared focus on safety, readiness and protecting the communities we are privileged to serve." said Keith Stephens, CenterPoint's Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer.  

Community members are encouraged to attend these free preparedness events to learn more about how CenterPoint Energy prepares for hurricane season, what customers can expect before, during and after a storm, and the safety tools and resources available to support readiness at home. CenterPoint team members will be on site to share information, answer questions and provide guidance on planning ahead for extreme weather.

Throughout the summer, CenterPoint Energy will continue participating in hurricane and emergency preparedness events across other parts of the Greater Houston area as part of its ongoing commitment to strengthening community resiliency ahead of the Atlantic hurricane season.

For more information about upcoming events, hurricane preparedness tips, and CenterPoint's storm response efforts, visit CenterPointEnergy.com/StormCenter.

 

Montgomery County Disaster Preparedness Expo

When:Saturday, May 9 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
 
Where: Lone Star Convention & Expo Center
9055 Airport Rd.,
Conroe, TX 77303
 
Learn more: 1st Annual Montgomery County Disaster Preparedness Expo

 

2026 Ready Fort Bend EXPO

When:Saturday, May 9 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
 
Where: Fort Bend County Fairgrounds
4310 Texas 36
#S Rosenberg, TX 77471
 
Learn more: 2026 Ready Fort Bend EXPO

 
About CenterPoint Energy, Inc.

 As the only investor owned electric and gas utility based in Texas, CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) is an energy delivery company with electric transmission and distribution, power generation and natural gas distribution operations that serve more than 7 million metered customers in Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Texas. As of March 31, 2026, the company owned approximately $47.8 billion in assets. With approximately 8,800 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 150 years.​

In celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, CenterPoint Energy’s Foundation launches signature grant opportunity to enhance veteran resilience

​HOUSTON — May 6, 2026 — In celebration of the upcoming 250th anniversary of the United States of America, the CenterPoint Energy Foundation is launching a new and unique grant opportunity to support nonprofit organizations that serve and focus on our U.S veterans in CenterPoint Energy's four state service area in Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Texas.

Through this special grant opportunity, the Foundation plans to invest up to $250,000 in the states the company serves, with individual grants ranging from $5,000 to $25,000. Grants will be awarded to eligible nonprofit organizations with a primary location within CenterPoint's service areas and whose programs support veterans and individuals connected to the military.

“As our nation approaches its 250th anniversary, this grant opportunity reflects our deep respect for the men and women who serve and have served, and our privilege to support them beyond their time in uniform," said Jason Ryan, Executive Vice President, Regulatory Services and Government Affairs at CenterPoint and United States Navy veteran.

“We see the value every day of our veteran workforce. We have more than 700 employees who once served in uniform and who are today working to deliver safe and reliable energy services to nearly 7 million customers. Through the CenterPoint Energy Foundation, we appreciate being able to give back to veterans by supporting nonprofit organizations that provide critical resources for mental health, housing stability and everyday needs. It's an honor to invest in programs that help veterans and their families thrive in the communities we are proud to serve," Ryan added.

Grant funding will focus on nonprofit programs working to strengthen veteran resilience through:

  • Mental health and peer support services.
  • Transitional and stable housing assistance.
  • Daily living support, including transportation, benefits navigation and basic needs.

Funded separately and financially independent from the utility, the CenterPoint Energy Foundation strives to be a catalyst for good by leveraging everyday opportunities and resources to strengthen communities. This grant opportunity for veteran-serving organizations expands on the Foundation's two main strategic giving areas of community vitality and education to help address critical challenges facing veterans and their families.

CenterPoint employs more than 700 veterans across its four-state service area, who continue their commitment to service by strengthening the communities where they live and work by helping provide vital electric and natural gas service.

In 2025, the CenterPoint Energy Foundation awarded more than $15 million to support nonprofit organizations focused on increasing community vitality and investing in education.  

To learn more about this program and to apply for a grant, visit CenterPointEnergy.com/Community.
 

About the CenterPoint Energy Foundation
The CenterPoint Energy Foundation provides philanthropic support to meet the needs of communities where CenterPoint Energy customers live and work. The Foundation is funded by shareholders and has no impact on customer rates. More information about the Foundation can be found at CenterPointEnergy.com/Foundation.

About CenterPoint Energy, Inc.
As the only investor owned electric and gas utility based in Texas, CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) is an energy delivery company with electric transmission and distribution, power generation and natural gas distribution operations that serve more than 7 million metered customers in Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Texas. As of December 31, 2025, the company owned approximately $46.5 billion in assets. With approximately 8,800 employees, CenterPoint and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 150 years. ​

CenterPoint Energy customers surpass annual energy savings goal – decreasing energy use, saving money and reducing emissions

CenterPoint's 2025 annual status report highlights customer energy, cost and emissions reductions 

Customers have reduced emissions by 18.1 million metric tons and saved $2.6 billion over the last 32 years

MINNEAPOLIS – May 4, 2026 – CenterPoint Energy recently filed its 2025 Energy Conservation and Optimization (ECO) Status Report with the Minnesota Department of Commerce and the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission reporting a decrease in customer energy use of 1.35% related to overall energy use. Residential and business customers exceeded the company's annual energy savings goal through participation in energy efficiency programs.

This marks the seventeenth year CenterPoint customers have surpassed the annual energy savings target, reflecting the company's commitment to help Minnesotans use energy more efficiently, save money and reduce the emissions attributed to their energy use. Filed in 2023, CenterPoint's 2024-2026 ECO Plan is expected to decrease total customer emissions by approximately 1.29% each year, with CenterPoint customers surpassing this goal in 2025 by achieving a 1.35% decrease.

Customer participation in CenterPoint's Minnesota energy efficiency programs has reduced emissions by nearly 18.8 million metric tons over the last 32 years and saved customers approximately $2.6 billion.    

“At CenterPoint, we're proud of our more than 30-year history of connecting our Minnesota customers with opportunities to enhance the energy efficiency of their homes and businesses. Our energy efficiency programs help our customers lower their energy use, reduce their personal emissions and keep more money in their pockets. We look forward to continuing to work with customers on ways to save to benefit our share communities," said Brad Steber, Vice President of Minnesota Gas at CenterPoint.

Several key programs helped drive energy savings and emissions reductions in 2025, including:

  • Residential insulation rebates: Customers participated in programs to upgrade insulation within their homes to help them maintain a comfortable indoor temperature year-round and reduce energy waste. Residential customers can receive rebates of up to $3,000 for work completed by a qualifying contractor. 
  • Programs for income-qualified customers: The company offers a variety of programs for customers who meet income qualifications including audit programs to identify areas of energy waste and for owners of multi-family properties who serve qualifying customers including through appliance rebates and incentives to making energy efficiency improvements.
  • Rebates for commercial and industrial customers: CenterPoint's rebates programs are tailored to the needs of commercial and industrial customers. Customers took advantage of rebates for high-efficiency commercial foodservice equipment and upgrades to water heaters and heaters.  

CenterPoint also offers various energy efficiency programs at a reduced rate or no cost for customers who qualify.

Customers can learn more about available Minnesota energy efficiency programs and how to participate by visiting: CenterPointEnergy.com/SaveEnergy.

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About CenterPoint Energy, Inc.
 As the only investor owned electric and gas utility based in Texas, CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) is an energy delivery company with electric transmission and distribution, power generation and natural gas distribution operations that serve more than 7 million metered customers in Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Texas. As of March 31, 2026, the company owned approximately $47.8 billion in assets. With approximately 8,800 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com.

Essentially all CenterPoint Energy customers who can receive power have been restored following significant rain and storms across the Greater Houston area on Friday

​HOUSTON – May 2, 2026 – As significant rain and strong winds traveled across CenterPoint Energy's electric service territory yesterday, approximately 96% of its 2.9 million customers across the Greater Houston area experienced no impact to their electric service. Approximately 126,000 customers, were impacted since storms started to move through the area around 12:00 a.m. on Friday morning, and essentially all customers have been restored. As of 7:30a.m. today, approximately 200 customers are currently without power. Crews continue actively working to restore those impacted customers safely and as quickly as possible. ​

The company's electric business has returned to normal operations and the Emergency Operations Center has been demobilized.

On Thursday, the company activated its Emergency Operation Center ahead of the weather event, and more than 1,300 frontline workers and contractors were available to respond to isolated outages throughout the company's 12-county service area. The average time to restore customers who experienced storm-related outages was approximately 90 minutes.

“We know our customers expect and deserve reliable power, and that's why our teams worked around the clock through heavy rainfall to safely restore service, with most outages resolved in less than 90 minutes over the last 24 hours." said Nathan Brownell, CenterPoint's Vice President of Resilience and Capital Delivery and Incident Commander. “We appreciate the dedication of our outstanding frontline crews and contractors. They remain active and will continue restoration efforts until service is restored to all customers who can safely receive power."

CenterPoint took the following actions ahead of Friday's severe weather:

  • Deployed resources: Had 1,300 company employees and contractors ready to respond to outages and support preparedness actions ahead of restoration efforts.
  • Activated Emergency Operations Center: To coordinate storm response efforts throughout the day, the company proactively activated its Emergency Operations Center on Thursday and remained ready to respond.
  • Monitored weather 24/7: The Meteorology team continued to track forecast developments, and the company updated response plans as conditions evolved.
  • Pre-positioned resources: Response teams were pre-positioned in areas where storms were forecasted to impact and remained ready to respond to any electric or natural gas service interruptions safely and as quickly as possible.
  • Coordinated with local officials: The company provided updates to local officials and emergency management partners.

About CenterPoint Energy, Inc.  
As the only investor owned electric and gas utility based in Texas, CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) is an energy delivery company with electric transmission and distribution, power generation and natural gas distribution operations that serve more than 7 million metered customers in Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Texas. As of March 31, 2026, the company owned approximately $47.8 billion in assets. With approximately 8,800 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com.​