CenterPoint Energy seeks approval for 400 megawatts of renewable energy serving southwestern Indiana
- Renewables represent the next component of company's Smart Energy Future Plan
2021-02-23T06:00:00Z

EVANSVILLE, Ind., Feb. 23, 2021 - CenterPoint Energy (CNP) today announced its Indiana-based electric and natural gas business, CenterPoint Energy Indiana South, is seeking approval from the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) to enter into an agreement on the acquisition of a 300-megawatt (MW) solar array as part of the company's long-term electric generation transition plan announced in June 2020. The company is also requesting approval to enter into a power purchase agreement (PPA) for an additional 100 MWs of solar energy.

CenterPoint Energy is seeking to enter into an agreement with Capital Dynamics, the company that will build the 300-MW utility-owned project in Posey County, Ind. Arevon Energy Management and energy company Tenaska are co-developing the project. CenterPoint Energy is also proposing to purchase additional solar power from Clēnera, which is developing a solar project in Southwestern Indiana, under a 25-year contract. The addition of the 400MW of solar through the Capital Dynamics and PPA agreements supports CenterPoint Energy's goal to reduce operational emissions by 70 percent by 2035, avoiding approximately 700,000 tons of CO2 each year after completion.

Together, the 400 MWs represent the next component of the company's Smart Energy Future plan to meet stakeholder sustainability goals and implements the most economic path forward as outlined in last summer's Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). The plan details an all-of-the-above approach including renewables, natural gas and coal to ensure regional reliability and includes flexible generation to meet seasonal peak loads.

"As one of the largest single-sited solar arrays in the Midwest, these significant renewable resources would serve our local electric customers, providing a low-cost, stable energy option," said Steve Greenley, Senior Vice President, Generation Development for CenterPoint Energy. "We are confident we have chosen the right companies with the right experience for projects of this scale."

Following the completion of the most recent IRP in June 2020, which was greatly influenced by customer input and a request for proposal including all sources of generation, CenterPoint Energy has been working with Capital Dynamics to explore opportunities for the eventual development of the Posey County property. Following all required approvals, the solar array will be located on approximately 2,500 acres and will consist of more than 730,000 solar panels. The facility is expected to be fully operational in 2023, generating enough power to meet the needs of more than 50,000 households per year and helping large customers achieve their individual sustainability goals.

"Capital Dynamics is proud to support CenterPoint Energy's efforts to deliver low-cost, sustainable energy generation to its customers in Posey County," said Martin Hahn, CEO of Capital Dynamics. "The project is expected to provide substantial economic benefits to local communities and help the state of Indiana take another step towards meeting its clean energy and climate goals. We thank our partners in Posey County for supporting this important initiative."

"We are pleased to be working with CenterPoint Energy, Capital Dynamics and Tenaska on the construction of a 300 MW Posey County solar project," said Tiago Sabino Dias, President and CEO of Arevon Energy Management, a specialized company with a master service agreement to provide origination services for Capital Dynamics' Clean Energy Infrastructure platform. "We applaud CenterPoint Energy for its commitment to introducing more renewable energy to its electric footprint in Indiana and we're proud to contribute to the future of cleaner energy for Indiana."

Construction of the solar project with Capital Dynamics will begin upon the receipt of necessary authorization and permits from the IURC. A decision on CenterPoint Energy's request is expected in late 2021 or early 2022. The initial construction phase will require establishing a sub-station to interconnect with CenterPoint Energy's power grid.

"The construction of this solar array and the additional energy obtained through the power purchase agreement will further CenterPoint Energy's Smart Energy Future strategy. Ensuring continued reliability, addressing sustainability needs for the region, and tailored to utility ownership values, these projects will contribute significantly to CenterPoint Energy's commitment to deliver clean and reasonably priced energy to its customers," said Greenley.

During the proposed 14- to 18-month construction timeline, the project will provide approximately 250 full-time jobs. Additionally, $47.8 million will be contributed to Posey County during construction, as well as $1.2 million in property taxes per year during the solar array's operation.

Construction on the secondary solar array will begin upon receipt of necessary authorization and permits, with a decision on CenterPoint Energy's request also expected in late 2021 or early 2022. Scheduled to be in service by 2023, CenterPoint Energy will contract 100 MW of the total 200-MW array, which will generate enough power to meet the needs of more than 18,500 homes per year.

Jared McKee, Vice President of Business Development for Clēnera said, "We thank CenterPoint Energy for partnering with Clēnera to acquire clean energy from one of our solar projects. Our team looks forward to the completion of this solar project and assisting CenterPoint Energy in meeting the future energy needs of its southwestern Indiana electric customers."

Greenley added, "CenterPoint Energy thanks Posey County representatives and other project stakeholders for their support of these projects and is pleased to be working with trusted developers in pursuit of continued renewable growth in the communities we serve."

Forward Looking Statement
This news release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this news 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. These forward-looking statements are based upon assumptions of management which are believed to be reasonable at the time made and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual events and results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Any statements in this news release regarding future events, such as the CenterPoint Energy's plans to transition to more renewable generation resources, its carbon emissions reduction targets, the IURC's approval process for the projects and timing thereof, the expected capacity of the facilities, the anticipated benefits to customers and the county where such facilities are located, including the costs of such renewable energy, the construction of the facilities and related timing, and any other statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Each forward-looking statement contained in this news release speaks only as of the date of this release. 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 impact of COVID-19; (2) financial market conditions; (3) general economic conditions; (4) the timing and impact of future regulatory and legislative decisions; (5) effects of competition; (6) weather variations; (7) changes in business plans; and (8) other factors, risks and uncertainties discussed in CenterPoint Energy's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, CenterPoint Energy's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2020, June 30, 2020 and September 30, 2020 and other reports CenterPoint Energy or its subsidiaries may file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

About CenterPoint Energy
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 Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma and Texas. As of September 30, 2020, the company owned approximately $33 billion in assets and also owned 53.7 percent of the common units representing limited partner interests in Enable Midstream Partners, LP, a publicly traded master limited partnership that owns, operates and develops strategically located natural gas and crude oil infrastructure assets. With approximately 9,600 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com.

About Capital Dynamics
Capital Dynamics is an independent global asset management firm focusing on private assets including private equity, private credit and clean energy infrastructure. Capital Dynamics Clean Energy Infrastructure is one of the largest renewable energy investment managers in the world with USD 6.6 billion AUM and has one of the longest track records in the industry. The CEI strategy was established to capture attractive investment opportunities in the largest and fastest growing sector of global infrastructure – proven renewable energy technologies, primarily in North America and Europe, across solar, onshore wind, energy storage and related infrastructure with a focus on both utility-scale and distributed generation technologies. The CEI platform's fully integrated asset management affiliate provides highly-specialized services to ensure optimal performance and value from projects. The CEI strategy currently manages 7.9 GWdc of contracted gross power generation across more than 150 projects in the United States and Europe and is one of the top 3 global solar PV owners. Since the CEI platform's inception in 2010, over 17 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions have been avoided as a result of the firm's renewable investments. This is equivalent to the power needed to supply more than 3 million homes or passenger vehicles for one year. In 2020, the CEI strategy received top rankings from GRESB (the ESG benchmark for real assets) for commitment to sustainability, and in 2019 awarded Global PE Energy Firm of the Year by Private Equity International. For more information, please visit: www.capdyn.com.

About Arevon Energy Management
Arevon Energy Management (AEM) is an independent company with a partnership with the Capital Dynamics' Clean Energy Infrastructure platform. AEM's team of experts work directly with utilities, municipalities, cooperatives, and large corporations to jointly develop clean energy strategies that exceed their economic and sustainability objectives. AEM is a one-stop shop for holistic solutions you can count on for the coming decades. For more information, please visit www.arevonenergy.com.

About Clēnera
Clenera, LLC ("Clēnera") is a privately-held renewable energy company headquartered in Boise, Idaho. Clēnera acquires, develops, builds and manages utility-scale solar farms and energy storage facilities throughout the United States. Combining breakthrough technology with a deeply integrated team approach, Clēnera provides reliable, affordable energy systems and helps its utility partners become clean energy leaders in their communities. Clēnera's current operating portfolio exceeds 1.4 GW, with more than 13 GW of solar and storage assets in development. Learn more at www.clenera.com.

For more information, contact
Media Relations
Media.Relations@CenterPointEnergy.com

SOURCE CenterPoint Energy, Inc.

 Recent News

 

 
In celebration of Natural Gas Utility Workers Day, CenterPoint Energy honors team members who work every day to serve customers and communities

Houston – March 18, 2025 – Every year, March 18 is recognized as Natural Gas Utility Workers Day, which is a moment to pause and honor the important role natural gas utility workers play in serving as emergency responders and keeping natural gas safely flowing to the businesses and homes in the many communities CenterPoint Energy is privileged to serve. CenterPoint honors the company's employees and those who work throughout the natural gas industry for their tireless work in providing safe, reliable and resilient service to those who rely on natural gas.

CenterPoint's approximately 3,500 natural gas utility workers play a critical role in installing and maintaining natural gas infrastructure such as pipelines and meters, supporting the delivery of energy service to customers, educating the public on natural gas safety and adhering to rigorous safety standards to protect their communities and the environment.

“Our natural gas utility workforce keeps safety at the forefront of all they do. Whether installing natural gas service or responding to emergency calls from customers, our workers focus on delivering resilient, readily available energy solutions for customers. No matter the temperature outside nor the time of day, our natural gas workers are there to help meet the needs of our customers and communities to keep them safe, maintain warmth and enable possibilities to support business needs. We honor and celebrate natural gas utility workers, not just today, but for the work they do every day to help keep us all safe," said Richard Leger, CenterPoint's Senior Vice President, Gas Business.

At CenterPoint, natural gas utility workers serve more than 4.3 million customers across six states, monitor and maintain more than 75,000 miles of distribution pipeline and deploy advanced leak detection technologies to monitor more than 80% of the company's natural gas assets.

In 2024 alone, the company's natural gas utility workers helped:

  • Replace more than 470 miles of pipeline to help advance efforts to modernize the company's natural gas distribution systems using modern construction materials and installation methods, including efforts to replace cast iron infrastructure.
  • Deploy more than 250,000 natural gas smart meters across the company's service area, which include enhanced safety and communications features.
  • Complete more than 2.5 million locates of the company's natural gas facilities, which help customers and community members dig safely and mitigate potential service disruptions.

Tips for customers to stay safe

Safety is CenterPoint's top priority. In addition to the company's employees' commitment to working safely, the company would like to remind customers to always keep natural gas safety top of mind by:

  • Calling before your dig: Anyone planning a project that requires digging should contact 811 at least two days prior to their work starting to have underground utilities located at no cost.
  • Learning to recognize a natural gas leak by using one's eyes, ears and noses:
    • Look for signs of a natural gas leak including persistent bubbling in standing water and discolored or dead vegetation around a pipeline.
    • Listen for any unusual noises such as whistling, hissing or roaring sounds.
    • Smell for the distinctive, strong odor, often compared to rotten eggs or sulfur from mercaptan which is added to natural gas for safety detection purposes.
  • Immediately reporting a suspected natural gas leak: If there's a “rotten egg" odor of natural gas present, immediately leave on foot, go to a safe location and call both 911 and CenterPoint Energy. Don't use electric switches and outlets, phones (including cell phones), drive or start a car or do anything that could cause a spark inside or close to the location.

To learn more about CenterPoint's commitment to natural gas safety, visit CenterPointEnergy.com/Safety.

Images associated with this release can be found at: https://cnplibrary.canto.com/b/UJQKH. These photos are made available courtesy of CenterPoint Energy.

​
CenterPoint Energy Taking Safety Actions to Address Increased Wildfire Risk in Parts of the Greater Houston Area

Red Flag Warning in effect for large portions of Texas and the Greater Houston area from noon to 9 p.m. on Saturday; high wind gusts, low humidity and fire risk anticipated

CenterPoint has taken a series of actions to prepare equipment and approximately 1,000 workers ready to respond today 

Company continues to communicate with customers about the potential for temporary outages in some areas due to wildfire conditions 

HOUSTON, March 15, 2025 - CenterPoint Energy is taking a series of precautionary actions to help protect customers and communities and address elevated wildfire risk in parts of the Greater Houston area, as the National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning from noon until 9 p.m. today. CenterPoint has actively prepared for potentially dangerous weather conditions, including high wind gusts, dry fuels and low humidity, by conducting pre-inspections of electric and natural gas equipment, adjusting power line safety settings in higher-risk areas, communicating with customers and working closely with local emergency agencies. Today, CenterPoint has approximately 1,000 line and vegetation workers prepared to respond to the evolving weather conditions.

Over the last day, CenterPoint has notified customers in the Cypress, Fort Bend and Katy areas through the company's Power Alert Service about the possibility that extreme weather and wind conditions could result in some temporary safety outages this afternoon or tonight.

"While we have had some precipitation with the passing front this morning, we must remain vigilant. As fire weather conditions quickly evolved and escalated across the state, CenterPoint has been actively preparing for potential impacts to the system and is ready to respond to the heightened risk today. Over the last several days, our teams have completed a series of actions to help protect our customers and communities, including inspecting critical equipment, clearing hazardous vegetation near power lines, adjusting safety settings in higher-risk areas and pre-positioning crews to quickly restore power if temporary safety outages occur. We will continue to keep customers informed of our efforts and how they can stay prepared before and during extreme weather," said Don Daigler, Senior Vice President, Emergency Planning & Response.

Key Actions to Help Keep Customers Safe
CenterPoint's safety preparations over the last several days include the following key actions:

  • Inspecting and Hardening Key Power Lines: Inspecting power lines in areas of heightened fire risk, clearing hazardous vegetation near power lines and conducting repairs where needed, ahead of potential extreme weather.
  • Inspecting Natural Gas Facilities: Inspecting gas facilities in areas of heightened fire risk and clearing hazardous vegetation near facilities ahead of potential extreme weather.
  • Adjusting Safety Settings: Adjusting the settings on some power lines for safety between noon and 9 p.m. today.
  • Bringing on Additional Crews to Respond: Positioning CenterPoint crews and additional contractors to respond to any power outages or natural gas service interruptions that may occur. Additional resources will be utilized to safely restore service as quickly as possible when conditions allow.
  • Coordinating with Local Emergency Partners: Proactively sharing information with state, county and local leaders.
  • Communicating with Customers: Proactively communicating with approximately 330,000 customers in the Cypress, Fort Bend and Katy areas by phone, text or email about the potential for temporary safety outages due to high fire danger.

Important Safety Tips for Customers

CenterPoint encourages all customers to stay informed about weather conditions and make a plan to stay safe, including during a potential power outage. Customers can also get the latest information on CenterPoint's preparedness and response efforts and view important safety tips by visiting CenterPointEnergy.com/StormCenter. Additional preparation and safety tips are available at Ready.gov. 

How to Stay Informed: Sign Up for PAS
CenterPoint electric customers are encouraged to enroll in the company's Power Alert Service® to receive outage details, estimated restoration times and customer-specific restoration updates by phone call, text or email. Customers can also stay up to date with CenterPoint's new and improved, cloud-based Outage Tracker, available in English and Spanish, which allows customers to see outages by county, city and zip code.

Customers can also follow @CenterPoint_TX to receive the most up-to-date information on the company's operations in the Greater Houston area and across Texas.

For the latest weather information for the Greater Houston area, view updates from the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Houston/Galveston at weather.gov/hgx.

For more information, contact:
Communications
Media.Relations@CenterPointEnergy.com

SOURCE CenterPoint Energy

CenterPoint Energy assessing damage, restoring power following overnight storms in southwestern Indiana

​​Evansville, Ind. – March 15, 2025 – CenterPoint Energy crews are actively assessing damage and making repairs to its electric system after severe storms moved through southwestern Indiana overnight. The company's natural gas system did not experience any major impacts. The storm system brought wind gusts up to 60 mph, with higher gusts reported in some areas, resulting in impacts across the company's electric system. As of 2:30 p.m., approximately 1,600 customers remain without power.

CenterPoint's restoration efforts underway
Damage assessments remain ongoing, and crews are focused on downed power lines, damaged poles and other storm-related impacts to the company's electric system.

According to the National Weather Service, more rain and scattered thunderstorms are expected Saturday. Due to these weather events, the outage count is likely to continue to change throughout the day. Additionally, outage numbers may shift as crews isolate sections of the system for repairs or identify new issues requiring additional work.

“Crews are making steady progress, and we appreciate our customers' patience as we work through the remaining outages," said Shane Bradford, CenterPoint's Vice President, Indiana Electric. “As weather continues to move through the area, restoration may be delayed as crews pause until safe to continue working, however, we remain focused on safely restoring power to every impacted customer as quickly as possible."

As restoration progresses and weather conditions improve, efforts will transition from large-scale outages affecting multiple customers to localized outages affecting smaller numbers of customers. Some of these repairs require extensive work, such as replacing broken poles or restoring service to individual customers who have damage to customer-owned electrical equipment.

What customers need to know about power restoration and repairs
When restoring power after service interruptions, CenterPoint follows a prioritization process that begins with critical infrastructure, followed by repairs that restore service to the greatest number of customers before addressing individual outages.

Additionally, some customers may experience delays if repairs are needed at their home or business. One common issue after storms is damage to a weatherhead—the point where power enters a home—which is customer-owned equipment. If a weatherhead is damaged, customers must have a licensed electrician make necessary repairs before CenterPoint can restore service. After repairs are completed, customers should call 800-227-1376 to request reconnection.

Safety tips
CenterPoint encourages customers to take steps to prepare for severe weather:

  • Downed power line safety: Stay at least 35 feet away from downed power lines and report them by calling 800-227-1376.
  • Work crew safety: Be cautious around work crews and give them plenty of room to safely assess damage and make repairs.
  • Generator safety: Never connect a portable electric generator directly to a building's electrical system during a power outage; electricity could back-feed into the power lines, potentially endangering CenterPoint workers. Only use a portable generator in a well-ventilated area and never run it inside or in a garage to avoid carbon monoxide fumes, which can be deadly.
  • Call before digging: Call 811 to locate utility lines prior to digging on a property.

 
Electric customers encouraged to enroll in Power Alert Service®
Customers are encouraged to enroll in Power Alert Service® to receive outage details, estimated restoration times, as available or determined, and customer-specific restoration updates in the event of severe weather. With the option to receive updates via phone call, text or email, Power Alert Service® helps keep customers informed of restoration progress during an outage event.

Customers can get storm-related electric, natural gas and flooding safety tips at CenterPointEnergy.com/StormCenter.​

CenterPoint Energy returns to normal operations as NWS Red Flag Warning expires, weather and wind threat ends for Greater Houston region

​Houston – March 15, 2025 – CenterPoint Energy is returning to normal operations as the National Weather Service's Red Flag Warning and risks of fire weather and strong wind end for the Greater Houston area. The company's system performed well, with less than one percent of customers experiencing an outage throughout today's high wind gusts.

Over the last several days, CenterPoint actively prepared for potentially dangerous weather conditions by conducting pre-inspections of electric and natural gas equipment, adjusting power line safety settings in higher-risk areas, communicating with customers and working with local emergency agencies.

Key Actions to Help Keep Customers Safe
Leading up to today's Red Flag Warning, CenterPoint's safety preparations included the following key actions:

  • Inspected and Hardened Key Power Lines: Inspected power lines in areas of heightened fire risk, cleared hazardous vegetation near power lines and conducted repairs where needed, ahead of potential extreme weather.
  • Inspected Natural Gas Facilities: Inspected gas facilities in areas of heightened fire risk and cleared hazardous vegetation near facilities ahead of potential extreme weather.
  • Adjusted Safety Settings: Adjusted the settings on some power lines for safety between noon and 9 p.m. today.
  • Brought on Additional Crews to Respond: Positioned CenterPoint crews and additional contractors to respond to any power outages or natural gas service interruptions that may occur.
  • Coordinated with Local Emergency Partners: Proactively shared information with state, county and local leaders.
  • Communicated with Customers: Proactively communicated with approximately 330,000 customers in the Cypress, Fort Bend and Katy areas by phone, text or email about the potential for temporary safety outages due to high fire danger.

“We'd like to thank our customers for their patience as some might have experienced temporary outages today as we took the necessary precautions to protect the community and our electric system from the fire weather conditions," said Tony Gardner, Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer. “While today's weather risk has passed, we encourage customers to take this opportunity to enroll in the company's Power Alert Service® and verify contact information so that when the next weather event might impact Greater Houston area, CenterPoint can contact you with important information regarding your electric service."

CenterPoint electric customers are encouraged to enroll in the company's Power Alert Service® to receive outage details, estimated restoration times and customer-specific restoration updates by phone call, text or email.

Customers can also follow @CenterPoint_TX to receive the most up-to-date information on the company's operations in the Greater Houston area and across Texas.

CenterPoint Energy working to restore remaining customers out from overnight severe weather

​Evansville, Ind. – March 15, 2025 – CenterPoint Energy crews have completed significant repairs to its electric system after severe storms moved through southwestern Indiana Friday night into Saturday morning. As of 9:30 p.m., approximately 200 customers remain without power. With nearly all customers restored, the majority of those still out will remain without service overnight as crews continue addressing the final localized outages.

“Crews have worked tirelessly throughout the day to restore power to the majority of customers impacted by this weekend's severe weather, and we appreciate their patience," said Shane Bradford, CenterPoint's Vice President, Indiana Electric. “As we continue the final phase of restoration, our teams will focus on the remaining smaller and individual outages and will continue working overnight and into Sunday until service is restored to all customers."
 
Working through intermittent rain, gusty winds and occasional lightning throughout the day, crews safely repaired extensive storm damage, including downed power lines, damaged poles and other storm-related impacts to the company's electric system.

“Our internal and contracted crews faced challenging conditions today while keeping safety at the forefront. We appreciate their dedication as they worked to restore service to our customers," Bradford added.

At this stage, most of the remaining outages are localized, affecting smaller numbers of customers. Some of these repairs require extensive work, such as replacing broken poles or restoring service to individual customers who have damage to customer-owned electrical equipment.

Customers may experience delays if repairs are needed at their home or business. One common issue after storms is damage to a weatherhead—the point where power enters a home—which is customer-owned equipment. If a weatherhead is damaged, customers must have a licensed electrician make necessary repairs before CenterPoint can restore service. After repairs are completed, customers should call 800-227-1376 to request reconnection.

Customers can stay informed on remaining updates by following CenterPoint on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).​