CenterPoint Energy files request to invest in safety, reliability and advancing decarbonization technologies for Minnesota's future
Utility continues to make investments in replacing and upgrading infrastructure to continue complying with federal regulations
2023-11-01T05:00:00Z

Minneapolis – Nov. 1, 2023 – CenterPoint Energy filed an application with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (the “Commission") today requesting an adjustment to delivery charges in 2024 and 2025 for the company's natural gas business in Minnesota.

Known as a rate case, the proposed adjustment would help the utility not only comply with required federal regulations but also make meaningful investments to decarbonize and continue the safe and reliable operation of its 14,000-mile pipeline system. As the largest natural gas utility in Minnesota, CenterPoint Energy delivers energy to more than 910,000 residential and business customers in Minnesota.

“Our customers and communities benefit from the meaningful investments we make into our natural gas distribution system," said Christe Singleton, CenterPoint Energy's Vice President, Minnesota Gas. “The rate case is based on the need to maintain a safe, reliable system that delivers the essential and increasingly clean energy our customers count on each day, especially the coldest days."

Singleton added, “We're excited about the Natural Gas Innovation Act plan that we filed with the Commission this past June as part of our commitment to evaluating innovative solutions that help reduce emissions to support a cleaner energy future. Our innovation plan will increase access to renewable energy resources and innovative technologies such as the CarbinX technology that helps our customers reduce their onsite emissions. This rate case filing proposes to recover certain costs associated with the plan."

CenterPoint is committed to innovative, comprehensive solutions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and advance Minnesota's cleaner energy future. In 2022, CenterPoint began producing green hydrogen, which is hydrogen made with renewable electricity, to blend it into natural gas at low levels of concentration for delivery to customers in Minneapolis. An additional project, proposed within its innovation plan, would produce renewable electricity on site for hydrogen production.

The requested increase is approximately 6.5% or $84.6 million for 2024 and an additional approximately 3.7% or $51.8 million for 2025. If approved, the requested increase would add $5.91 to a typical

residential customer's monthly delivery charge in 2024 and an additional $2.58 to a typical residential customer's monthly delivery charge in 2025. The delivery charge accounts for roughly 40-50% of a typical residential customer's monthly bill.

The rest of a customer's bill is the cost of natural gas which is passed through at cost. CenterPoint Energy does not mark up or profit from the purchase or sale of natural gas. For the 2023-2024 winter season, natural gas costs are estimated to be lower than the 2022-2023 winter season, assuming normal winter weather, that would flow through to mitigate customer bills.

CenterPoint Energy is asking the Commission to review and approve the proposed new rates, which are likely to occur in early 2025. A proposed interim rate increase of approximately 5.3% would take effect on Jan. 1, 2024, while the rate case is pending. Additionally, an interim rate would apply starting on Jan. 1, 2025, for an additional 2.4% increase.

More details about the rate case can be found at CenterPointEnergy.com/RateCase.

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 Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Ohio and Texas. As of September 30, 2023, the company owned approximately

$39 billion in assets. With approximately 9,000 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com.

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 expected prices of natural gas and the subsequent impact on customer bills, assumptions regarding winter weather, the timing of and proposed rates to be approved by the Commission, the approval of the Natural Gas Innovation plan, the related renewable projects, and the anticipated benefits, including reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, 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 pandemics, including the COVID-19 pandemic; (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; (8) continued disruptions to the global supply chain and increases in commodity prices; (9) legislative decisions, including tax and developments related to the environment such as global climate change, air emissions, carbon and waste water discharges; (10) CenterPoint Energy's ability to execute on its initiatives, targets and goals and operations and maintenance goals and (11) other factors, risks and uncertainties discussed in CenterPoint Energy's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 and CenterPoint's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2023, June 30, 2023 and September 30, 2023, and other reports CenterPoint Energy or its subsidiaries may file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 


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CenterPoint Energy encourages customers to participate in energy efficiency programs and take easy actions to reduce their monthly home energy bills

Houston – Oct. 2, 2024 – CenterPoint Energy is celebrating 2024 Energy Efficiency Day by reminding customers of ways to reduce their home energy use, save money and lower their carbon footprint.  

Established in 2016, Energy Efficiency Day raises awareness for the benefits of energy efficiency efforts. Using energy more efficiently is one of the fastest and most cost-effective ways to save money, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, create jobs and meet the growing demand for energy.

Over the past 30 years, CenterPoint customers have saved billions of dollars and avoided millions of metric tons of emissions through energy efficiency programs, including weatherproofing such as air sealing and insulation, and installing more efficient appliances for heating, cooling and cooking.

“At CenterPoint, we have tips, tools and programs to help customers save energy and manage their bills. We encourage our customers to take steps to increase the energy efficiency of their home so that they can continue to stay comfortable inside year-round while reducing their energy use," said Tony Gardner, Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer at CenterPoint. “By taking some small and easy actions, customers can make a big difference in reducing their monthly energy bills."

CenterPoint wants to remind customers of some actions and tips they can take to reduce their energy use:

  • Regularly perform furnace maintenance: Service your furnace annually and check the air filter monthly to increase the efficiency of your equipment.
  • Adjust your temperature: Use a programmable or smart thermostat to automatically adjust your cooling or heating temperature when you're asleep or away from home to maximize potential savings.
  • Seal air leaks: Use caulking and weather stripping around windows and doors to seal air leaks to reduce drafts inside your home for more efficient heating and cooling.
  • Use the sun: When it's hot outside, keep window coverings closed to keep a cooler indoor temperature. When it's cold outside, open your window coverings to capture warmth from the sun during the day, and close your coverings at night to keep warmth inside.
  • Choose energy smart appliances: When upgrading appliances, look for ENERGY STAR®-certified products for optimal efficiency. Energy efficiency rebates may be available for qualifying appliances.

Customers can learn more about energy savings tips and tools in addition to ways to manage their monthly energy bills at CenterPointEnergy.com/SavingsTips.​

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 Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Ohio and Texas. As of June 30, 2024, the company owned approximately $41 billion in assets. With approximately 9,000 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com.


CenterPoint Energy and Neara Announce Post-Hurricane Beryl Collaboration to Advance Electric Resiliency Across Greater Houston Region

Mobilizing AI capabilities and digital modeling technologies will help optimize safety, reliability and resilience while reducing the impact on CenterPoint's customers

HOUSTON, Oct. 2, 2024 - As part of the company's ambition to become the most resilient coastal electric grid in the country, CenterPoint Energy (NYSE: CNP) today announced it has reached an agreement with Neara, an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered infrastructure modeling platform for engineering-grade simulations and analytics, to deploy Neara's AI capabilities across CenterPoint's 5,000-square-mile Greater Houston service area.

CenterPoint will supplement its existing systems with Neara's technology to focus its investments strategically and cost-effectively and to continue to advance safety, reliability and resilience for the benefit of its approximately 2.8 million customers. Neara's AI-enabled simulation and analytics platform are expected to help CenterPoint reduce customer outages and accelerate restoration efforts across its system.

"Leveraging technology and AI to deliver better outcomes for our customers and communities is a significant part of the commitment we made after Hurricane Beryl," said CenterPoint President and Chief Executive Officer Jason Wells. "By simulating the potential impact of severe weather events on our infrastructure and customers, Neara's platform and tools will inform our plans and actions before, during and after major weather events to help reduce the impact and duration of power outages. Understanding how weather scenarios and their risks could affect our operations will position us to be several steps ahead on our preparedness and response."

Robert Brook, Neara Senior Vice President and Managing Director of the Americas, said, "We are thrilled to collaborate with CenterPoint as they lead the charge in addressing today's most existential energy challenges. Our 3D digital modeling technology will help CenterPoint proactively reduce customer outages by simulating severe weather events, such as hurricanes, tropical storms, heat waves and flash floods, and their potential impact on the utility's infrastructure."

Neara's technology will also support CenterPoint's ongoing efforts to address higher-risk vegetation along power lines, as well as identify critical equipment upgrades, including pole replacements or reinforcements, quickly and efficiently. Additionally, Neara's predictive technology will help CenterPoint prioritize specific assets and locations where grid hardening improvements will help optimize system-wide benefit. As targeted system upgrades are completed, CenterPoint will be able to quantify performance increases at the individual asset level and forecast, deliver and measure resilience improvements.

In late August 2024, CenterPoint announced the completion, ahead of schedule, of core resiliency actions as part of the first phase of its Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative (GHRI), which included a series of targeted immediate actions to improve the resiliency of CenterPoint Houston Electric's grid. The company also announced the boldest series of resiliency actions in its history, including a second phase of GHRI (currently underway from September 1, 2024June 1, 2025) which will include system hardening, strategic undergrounding, self-healing grid technology and further enhancements to the company's outage tracker, as well as a longer-term resilience plan– which will be filed after discussions with stakeholders, elected officials, and customers – of approximately $5 billion in resiliency investment from 2026 to 2028, potentially doubling its prior planned investment.

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, which include statements regarding our resiliency investments, timing, forgoing profits and related matters, 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 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 pandemics, including the COVID-19 pandemic; (2) financial market conditions; (3) general economic conditions; (4) the timing and impact of future regulatory and legislative decisions; and (5) other factors, risks and uncertainties discussed in CenterPoint Energy's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 and CenterPoint's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2024 and June 30, 2024 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 Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Ohio and Texas. With approximately 9,000 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com.

About Neara
Neara's AI-assisted predictive modeling software helps infrastructure owners drive critical proactive decisions by conducting precise analyses in hours and days that would otherwise take months or years in the field. Engineering-grade simulation analyses reveal how assets behave in real-world environments during any scenario — empowering better, faster, more cost-effective decisions. The model supports end-to-end network governance, from routine operational decisions to emergency scenarios and major grid-hardening investments — without verification from manual surveys. Neara's technology has modeled >1.5 million square miles of global network territory featuring ~10 million assets, across four continents from California to Ireland and Australia. Neara's utility customers identify outage risks 9x faster, restore power 3x faster, and save thousands of field visits per year. More information is available at www.neara.com.

Media Contacts
CenterPoint Energy
Media: media.relations@centerpointenergy.com
Investors: Jackie Richert/Ben Vallejo, 713.207.6500

Neara
Media: neara@haymaker.co

SOURCE CenterPoint Energy

CenterPoint Energy encourages customers to use payment plans, energy assistance during winter months as Cold Weather Rule protections go into effect

Minneapolis – Oct. 1, 2024 – CenterPoint Energy is reminding residential customers about Minnesota's Cold Weather Rule, which protects Minnesotans who experience difficulty paying their heating bill. This rule provides customers extra protection against natural gas service disconnections from Oct. 1, 2024, through April 30, 2025.

Under the Cold Weather Rule, customers who are having difficulty paying their natural gas bills are required to set up a payment plan with their utility to prevent disconnection of their service. To arrange a payment plan, CenterPoint customers can call 800-245-2377 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday-Friday, or visit CenterPointEnergy.com/Assistance.

“For customers who may be facing financial hardship, we have tips, tools and programs to help customers manage their bills and save energy. We encourage you to contact us now to set up a payment plan and to see if you're eligible for energy assistance to aid with paying your heating bill," said Brad Steber, CenterPoint Energy's Vice President, Minnesota Gas. “Setting up a payment plan and using the Cold Weather Rule will help you and your family stay safe and warm this winter and prevent disconnection of your natural gas service." 

A payment agreement must consider a customer's financial situation and any extenuating household circumstances. The payment plan must be agreeable to both the customer and CenterPoint. If an agreed-upon payment plan cannot be reached, customers have a right to appeal under the Cold Weather Rule.

CenterPoint representatives can also refer customers to programs and services that provide financial assistance for heating costs, including Minnesota's Energy Assistance Program. This federally funded program helps pay for home heating costs and furnace repairs for income-eligible households. Applications are accepted for this program beginning Oct. 1. 

CenterPoint customers may also sign up for an Average Monthly Billing Plan, which spreads costs throughout the year to help manage periods of peak usage, such as the winter heating season. Customers can sign up at CenterPointEnergy.com/MyAccount or by calling 800-245-2377.

Customers are also encouraged to take advantage of energy efficiency offerings and resources to assist in managing natural gas bills. More information on rebates and efficiency programs can be found at CenterPointEnergy.com/EfficiencyPrograms.

CenterPoint is Minnesota's largest natural gas utility, serving more than 920,000 residential and business customers in over 260 local communities. 

CenterPoint Energy Completing Safety Inspections for Natural Gas Customers Impacted by Hurricane Francine in Louisiana and Mississippi

Company makes internal and contractor frontline electrical workers available to 
other impacted utilities in Gulf Coast states

  • CenterPoint's nearly 480-member natural gas workforce in Louisiana and its nearly 200-member workforce in Mississippi are responding to customer requests and odor calls.
  • Crews are expected to complete all safety inspections by the end of the day today, with portions of Louisiana already reported as completed.
  • CenterPoint did not experience significant impacts from Hurricane Francine on its electric or natural gas networks across Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.
  • CenterPoint has released 1,500 distribution frontline and 700 vegetation management mutual aid workers to support other utilities in areas more impacted by the storm.

HOUSTON, Sept. 12, 2024 - Following Hurricane Francine's landfall, CenterPoint Energy is focusing its response efforts on its natural gas infrastructure and customers in Louisiana and Mississippi. As of 4 p.m. CT, Thursday, September 12, the effects of Francine have not resulted in any significant damage to its electric or gas networks across the Gulf Coast region. CenterPoint's nearly 480-member natural gas workforce in Louisiana and nearly 200-member workforce in Mississippi are expected to complete all safety inspections today, with portions of Louisiana already being reported as completed. Crews will also be responding to customer requests and odor calls.

"While the worst of the storm has passed, we continue to urge our customers to take precautions and follow the necessary safety steps when it comes to their natural gas service, including staying alert for the smell of natural gas and refraining from turning gas valves on or off," said Bo Murphy, CenterPoint's Vice President of Louisiana and Mississippi Natural Gas.

Given no significant impact on the electric system in Greater Houston from Francine, CenterPoint has made 1,500 distribution frontline and 700 vegetation management mutual aid workers available to other utilities more impacted by the storm. As part of its commitment to provide assistance to other utilities impacted by Francine, CenterPoint will also be making some of its Greater Houston area internal and contractor frontline electric workers available to the mutual aid system.

"The mutual aid system is an essential part of a utility's operations before, during and after a major storm. We are prepared to answer the call if utilities in impacted states need additional support to repair damage to their electric system and restore power to their customers," said Darin Carroll, Senior Vice President of Electric Business.

Support Actions in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas
The current response by CenterPoint to Hurricane Francine includes:

  • Conducting natural gas inspection process in LA and MS: The company's nearly 480-member natural gas workforce in Louisiana and its nearly 200-member workforce in Mississippi are conducting safety inspections and will be responding to customer requests and odor calls.
  • Readied frontline electric crews for mutual aid. CenterPoint will be making some of its internal and contractor frontline electric workers in the Greater Houston area available to other more-impacted utilities in the east.
  • Released all 1,500 frontline mutual aid workers: Made available all additional distribution frontline, mutual aid workers secured for the Greater Houston area to other more-impacted utilities to the east.
  • Released all 700 vegetation management mutual aid workers: The 1,300 internal and mutual aid vegetation management personnel finished the pre-storm high-risk vegetation work in the Greater Houston area and the 700 mutual aid vegetation management personnel have been made available to the mutual aid system.
  • Coordinating with government officials: Providing regular updates to federal, state, county and city officials to communicate company's pre-storm activities and readiness posture and provide critical updates.
  • Sharing customer communications: Shared safety and preparedness actions with CenterPoint customers across social media and other platforms to help keep customers informed and prepared.

Safety Tips for Natural Gas Customers 
CenterPoint is continuing to remind its customers to stay safe after Hurricane Francine by following these natural gas safety tips:

  • Do not turn off your natural gas service at the meter; doing so could allow water to enter the natural gas lines should flooding occur. If you wish to discontinue gas service, turn off the natural gas at each appliance.
  • Always be alert for the smell of natural gas. If you smell natural gas, leave the area immediately on foot and tell others to leave, too.
  • If you smell natural gas, do not turn the lights on or off, smoke, strike a match, use a cell phone or operate anything that might cause a spark, including a flashlight or a generator.
  • Do not attempt to turn natural gas valves on or off. Once safely away from the area, call 1-888-876-5786 and CenterPoint will send a trained service technician.
  • If your home is flooded, call a licensed plumber or natural gas appliance technician to inspect your appliances and gas piping to make sure they are in good operating condition before calling CenterPoint to reconnect service. This includes outdoor natural gas appliances including pool heaters, gas grills and gas lights.
  • If you are planning any digging or clearing as part of your post-hurricane activities, please call 811, the nationwide Call Before You Dig number, to locate underground natural gas lines and other underground utility lines.
  • Be aware of where your natural gas meter is located. As debris is put out for heavy trash pickup, make sure it is placed away from the meter. In many areas the meter may be located near the curb. If debris is near a natural gas meter, the mechanized equipment used by trash collectors could pull up the meter, damaging it and causing a potentially hazardous situation. If this happens, leave the area immediately and call CenterPoint at 1-888-876-5786.

For the latest updates, follow CenterPoint on X (formerly Twitter) for real-time updates. For more information and other resources, visit CenterPointEnergy.com/NaturalGasSafety.

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, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Ohio and Texas. With approximately 9,000 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com.

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

SOURCE CenterPoint Energy

CenterPoint Energy Announces a Comprehensive Suite of New Actions as Part of Second Phase of Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative to Strengthen the Electric Grid Across the Region

Near-term actions will include:

  • Installing 25,000 new, stronger poles
  • Removing or trimming 4,000 miles of higher-risk vegetation
  • Installing 4,500 automated reliability devices

Actions will be completed ahead of the 2025 hurricane season.

HOUSTON, Sept. 30, 2024 - Today, CenterPoint Energy announced a comprehensive suite of new actions as part of the next phase of its Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative (GHRI), including strengthening the energy system and operations over the next eight months and before the start of the 2025 hurricane season. These extensive near-term actions will: build on the work CenterPoint completed in the first phase of the GHRI, continue to strengthen resiliency, improve its communications and develop stronger partnerships, and help reinforce its electric system as it prepares for both the upcoming winter season and the 2025 hurricane season.

The actions in GHRI Phase Two will help enable a self-healing grid, reduce the length and frequency of outages and lead to more than 125 million fewer outage minutes annually for customers in the Greater Houston area. Work will be completed ahead of the 2025 hurricane season, or June 1, 2025, and will include:

  • Installing new or replacing 25,000 poles that meet extreme wind standards
  • Trimming or removing higher-risk vegetation across 4,000 miles of power lines
  • Installing 4,500 automation devices, known as trip savers, and 350 Intelligent Grid Switching Devices as part of our effort to build a self-healing grid that utilizes automation to respond to outages faster
  • Undergrounding more than 400 miles of power lines
  • Launching a year-round public emergency preparedness and safety communications campaign
  • Strengthening our local partnerships with agencies and partners critical to our emergency response efforts

"We know how important reliable and resilient energy is to our 2.8 million customers and that the Greater Houston region is the economic engine for the State of Texas and the energy capital of the world. That is why we are so focused on modernizing our infrastructure as we work toward our goal of building the most resilient coastal grid in the country that will serve the energy needs of Houstonians for years to come," said Jason Wells, President and CEO of CenterPoint.

"We are proud of the immediate resiliency improvements we delivered during Phase One of the Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative and these actions were only the beginning. We have set ambitious goals to achieve even further enhancements to our resiliency before the 2025 hurricane season. We are committed to developing the self-healing grid of the future that our customers expect and deserve," said Wells.

The actions CenterPoint has taken, and will continue to take, are designed to address its customers' major concerns following Hurricane Beryl by lessening the impact and duration of storm-related outages, improving its restoration efforts and communications, while also advancing the day-to-day reliability of its grid. Since August 17, CenterPoint has held 19 community open houses for its customers and community advocates, as well as numerous listening sessions with local officials and community leaders to help ensure the Phase Two actions address stakeholder concerns.

CenterPoint will track its progress towards completing all of its GHRI commitments at www.CenterPointEnergy.com/TakingAction.

Continuing the Momentum of GHRI Phase One
On August 28, CenterPoint announced that it had completed, ahead of schedule, a series of core resiliency actions as part of the first phase of its GHRI. During this initial phase, more than 2,500 employees and contractors trimmed or removed higher-risk vegetation from more than 2,000 power line miles, installed more than 1,100 stronger, more storm-resilient poles and installed more than 300 automated devices known as trip savers. In addition to the launch of its new outage tracker and the completion of 40 of its original 42 commitments, including all of those with a deadline on or before September 30, these actions represent meaningful, real-world resiliency improvements for its customers this hurricane season.

Longer-Term Commitment to Resiliency and Investment
Beyond the near-term actions of GHRI Phase Two, CenterPoint will refile its long-term resiliency plan with the PUCT on or before January 31, 2025. The goal of the long-term resiliency plan is to mitigate a broad spectrum of risks that threaten its system by hardening key aspects of the infrastructure, enhancing the security of the grid and building a smarter grid that can combat extreme weather, major storms and hurricanes to reduce the impact of outages experienced by its customers and mitigate wildfire risk.

As part of the long-term plan, CenterPoint will also propose investing at least $5 billion from 2026 to 2028 – the largest investment in Greater Houston infrastructure in the company's nearly 160-year history. The at least $5 billion is part of CenterPoint's new capital investment plan that includes more than $21 billion in total capital investment in its Texas electric and gas systems from 2025 through 2030, exceeding its current plan.

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, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Ohio and Texas. With approximately 9,000 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com. 

Forward-looking Statements
This news release, as well as the website pages related to the GHRI, includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this news release or the website pages related to the GHRI, 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, which include statements regarding our resiliency investments, and the GHRI, including effectiveness, timing and related matters, 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 or the website pages related to the GHRI regarding future events that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Each forward-looking statement contained in this news release or the website pages related to the GHRI 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 pandemics, including the COVID-19 pandemic; (2) financial market conditions; (3) general economic conditions; (4) the timing and impact of future regulatory and legislative decisions; and (5) other factors, risks and uncertainties discussed in CenterPoint Energy's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 and CenterPoint's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2024 and June 30, 2024 and other reports CenterPoint Energy or its subsidiaries may file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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

SOURCE CenterPoint Energy