We’ve detected a problem with your browser settings.
It’s possible that you don't have javascript enabled in your browser. Please enable javascript in your browser settings to successfully view our site.

CenterPoint Energy Indiana Electric files request to advance modernization investments, continue transition to a balanced generation portfolio

First base rate case in more than 14 years supports continued reliability and resiliency of system; supports economic growth of southwestern Indiana region

2023-12-05T06:00:00Z

Evansville – Dec. 5, 2023 – CenterPoint Energy's Indiana Electric business today filed a petition with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) requesting an adjustment to base rates and charges. The regulatory filing, known as a base rate case, is the utility's first request since 2009.

The regulatory filing requests an increase to recover incurred costs associated with completed capital projects over the past 14 years to support safe and reliable service to the company's 150,000 customers, including:

Transmission and distribution system upgrades to replace aging infrastructure and modernization of the energy grid;
Automated metering technology that has reliably served customers for several years; and
Projects needed to comply with federally mandated environmental requirements.

Additionally, the request is needed to recover costs associated with CenterPoint Energy's transition from a majority coal generation portfolio to one led with renewables, which includes the Posey Solar facility and two new, natural gas combustion turbines expected to be in service in 2025. With a continued focus on sustainability and cost-effectiveness, these projects are part of the previously announced generation transition plan to retire 700 megawatts of the company's aging coal operations through 2025.

“This request is based on the need to maintain a safe, resilient and reliable system to further meet the current and future energy needs of the southwestern Indiana region, said Richard Leger, Senior Vice President, Indiana Electric. “Our greatest commitment to our 150,000 customers is to maintain the level of service they have come to expect – reliably, safely and in a cost-effective manner."

Some key benefits southwestern Indiana electric customers have experienced as a result of the investments made since the last rate case filed in 2009 include:

Since 2016, Indiana Electric has inspected and treated more than 80 percent of its wood pole population. Through this process, poles that have reached the end of their useful service life have been replaced, and the life of serviceable poles extended, thus ultimately reducing customer outages resulting from pole failures.
Vegetation trimmed around nearly 7,000 miles of electric distribution lines, reducing the number of customer outages caused from vegetation contact.
Additional distribution substations have been constructed to support regional customer and industrial growth and increased load needs. Significant investment examples include:

Upgrades to serve growth to the Evansville Regional Airport
Investments to support customer growth in Warrick County
Infrastructure enhancements to retain and grow jobs and support increased electric load near Toyota's Gibson County manufacturing plant

As a result of hardening the electric system by replacing aging infrastructure, while the number of storm events in the area have increased, the average outage duration associated with equipment failure has dropped by approximately 25% over the last five years.
Smart meter technology and distribution automation investments work together to detect and restore customer outages automatically. Since 2021, our distribution automation system has allowed us to avoid nearly 4 million cumulative minutes of customer outages.

Leger said, “We have worked diligently and responsibly in the 14 years since our last base rate case to make prudent investments and minimize the impact to customers as we continue to perform our essential work. Since 2011 – the last time base rates were modified – CenterPoint Energy's total electric bill has only increased an average of 0.5% per year, which is well below the rate of inflation."

The total requested increase, which directly results from the base rate case filing, of $118.8 million is expected to impact customer bills no sooner than the fourth quarter of 2024. To prevent the increase from impacting customers all at once, CenterPoint Energy has proposed a phased approach. If approved, a typical residential customer would experience an estimated increase of $10.07 (6.5%) in late 2024, an additional $5.85 (3.6%) in early 2025, and finally $12.46 (7.3%) in early 2026 due to the request in the rate case. Once all phases are implemented including the full cost of service, which includes projects that would be recovered through current billing mechanisms, the expected total monthly bill will be approximately $200, based on average residential consumption of 799 kilowatt hours.

Leger added, “We recognize the economic challenges that many of our customers continue to face, and CenterPoint Energy provides a variety of options to help customers manage their bills, including energy bill assistance, home weatherization and billing assistance programs."

CenterPoint Energy is asking the IURC to review its investments, consider the value customers have received, and approve the proposed recovery of these costs. The regulatory process, which will include a comprehensive review by the IURC as well as the opportunity for the public to provide input, will take several months to complete, with a decision anticipated late in 2024.

More details about the rate case can be found at CenterPointEnergy.com/SmartEnergyFuture to provide customers with information on the rate case process and elements of the filing. Other resources to assist in managing bills year-round can also be found on the site.

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 Statements

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 CenterPoint Energy's ability to execute on its generation transition plans, including the timing and extent of CenterPoint Energy's retirement of coal facilities, the anticipated timing of and impact of the base rate case on customer bills, IURC approval of CenterPoint Energy's base rate case and phase-in plan, 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.

Recent News

CenterPoint Energy is monitoring forecasted severe weather and preparing for potential system impacts in southwestern Indiana

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – May 16, 2025 – CenterPoint Energy is actively monitoring severe weather forecasts and preparing for any potential impacts of strong storms expected to move through southwestern Indiana on Friday, May 16. The company is coordinating with emergency and agency partners and mobilizing resources across its service area to be prepared to respond to impacts and outages.

“We are closely monitoring the forecast and have taken steps to position crews, equipment and support teams across our service territory. We have a plan and we are executing our plan," said Shane Bradford, CenterPoint's Vice President, Indiana Electric. “Our teams are prepared to respond, if needed, and will work safely and efficiently to restore service once conditions allow."

Actions CenterPoint is Taking to Prepare
The actions CenterPoint is taking to prepare and respond include:

Pre-staging crews and equipment: CenterPoint crews and equipment are positioned across our service area to quickly respond to potential storm impacts once conditions have cleared.

Coordinating with government officials: Providing regular updates to state, county and city officials about our pre-storm activities and readiness posture.

Sharing information and updates: Providing safety and preparedness information directly with customers via email, phone or text, across social media platforms and other channels to keep customers informed and prepared.

Organizing additional call center staffing: Securing additional call center staff to handle a higher volume of calls during the storm and limit wait times.

Responding to Potential Impacts Across Service Territory
Across its Indiana Electric service area, CenterPoint is carefully monitoring severe weather and preparing to deploy frontline crews to efficiently clear storm debris, repair the grid and restore service to impacted customers as quickly and safely as possible.

Important Information for Electric Customers
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 via phone call, text or email. Customers can also stay up-to-date on outages with CenterPoint's new and improved, cloud-based Outage Tracker, now available in English and Spanish, which allows customers to see outages by county and zip code. The new tracker is capable of handling increased traffic during storms and is ADA- and mobile-friendly.

CenterPoint Encourages All Customers to Have a Plan to Stay Safe
CenterPoint is encouraging all customers to prepare and have a plan to stay safe during severe weather. Customers can get storm-related safety tips at CenterPointEnergy.com/ActionCenter. Additional preparations and best practices are available at Ready.gov.

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

GHRI Phase Two Update: CenterPoint Energy completes 100 percent of undergrounding milestone; 400 miles of strategic power line undergrounding completed ahead of 2025 hurricane season

Underground power lines installed ahead of schedule, with all Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative (GHRI) Phase Two resiliency actions on track to be completed by June 1

Historic suite of GHRI actions will improve system resiliency and reliability, resulting in the reduction of more than 125 million outage minutes annually

HOUSTON, May 6, 2025 - As part of its commitment to build the most resilient coastal grid in the country, CenterPoint Energy announced that it has installed 400 miles of underground power lines over the past eight months, completing 100% of its strategic undergrounding goal before the start of the 2025 hurricane season. The critical undergrounding work will help strengthen the system against extreme weather and improve overall resiliency by reducing potential outages caused by high winds, falling vegetation, vehicle collisions and other hazards. The work, which is part of the Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative (GHRI), was completed ahead of schedule and will help CenterPoint achieve its broader goal of achieving more than 50% of the electric system being ungrounded to further improve resiliency.

"All of us at CenterPoint are laser-focused on preparing for the 2025 hurricane season and strengthening the system against more powerful storms and extreme weather. We will continue working hard every day to build on the significant progress we've made since launching the Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative, as we continue toward our goal of building the most resilient coastal grid in the country," said Darin Carroll, Senior Vice President of Electric Business.

When all GHRI milestones are achieved, these system improvements and actions will further strengthen resiliency and are projected to reduce outages for customers by more than 125 million minutes annually.

As part of its commitment to transparency, CenterPoint will continue to provide regular updates on its progress toward completing its critical resiliency actions and other GHRI commitments. More information and real-time updates are available at CenterPointEnergy.com/TakingAction.

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 approximately 7 million metered customers in Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Texas. As of March 31, 2025, the company had approximately $44 billion in assets. With approximately 8,300 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been serving customers 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 the GHRI and longer-term resiliency plans, 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 and other emergency preparations 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, including expected benefits, speaks only as of the date of this release or the date that such statement is made, as applicable. 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) business strategies and strategic initiatives, restructurings, joint ventures, acquisitions or dispositions of assets or businesses involving CenterPoint Energy or its industry; (2) CenterPoint Energy's ability to fund and invest planned capital, and the timely recovery of its investments; (3) financial market and general economic conditions; (4) the timing and impact of future regulatory, legislative and political actions or developments; 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, 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

Applications now open for CenterPoint Energy’s Community Safety Grants

HOUSTON – May 15, 2025 – CenterPoint Energy is currently accepting applications for this year's Community Safety Grant Program through May 31, 2025. The company will award grants of up to $2,500 for local governmental agencies to fund community safety equipment and safety-related projects within CenterPoint's electric and natural gas service areas in Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Texas.

Since launching the program in 2003, CenterPoint has awarded more than $3.25 million in grants for over 1,600 safety-related projects in communities throughout the company's footprint.

“At CenterPoint, safety is our top core value, and this drives every effort we take as a company for the customers and communities we are privileged to serve," said June Deadrick, CenterPoint's Vice President, Community Relations. “Through our Community Safety Grant Program, we are thrilled to recognize the work our emergency responders, local officials and many others do to help support the health and safety of our customers across the communities we, too, call home."

Through this program, the grants have enabled communities to install public AEDs (automated external defibrillators), update emergency communication equipment, purchase personal protective equipment for first responders, install traffic control signs, buy gas monitoring devices and complete many other types of safety projects.

Each community CenterPoint serves can submit one grant application with information on a safety-related problem, issue or need in the community and how a Community Safety Grant would help address those needs.

To learn more about CenterPoint's commitment to the communities it serves and to apply for a Community Safety Grant, visit CenterPointEnergy.com/Community.

About CenterPoint Energy, Inc.
CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) is a multi-state electric and natural gas delivery company serving approximately 7 million metered customers across Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio, and Texas. The company is headquartered in Houston and is the only Texas-domiciled investor-owned utility. As of March 31, 2025, the company had approximately $44 billion in assets. With approximately 8,300 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been serving customers for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com.

CenterPoint Energy continues its resiliency efforts across the 12-county region through its Foundation’s Community Generator Donation Program; Donates backup generator to the YET Center

HOUSTON — May 15, 2025 — Today, at an announcement in Houston with elected officials and community leaders, CenterPoint Energy leaders announced the donation of a backup generator to the Youth Education Town (YET) Center as part of its Community Generator Donation Program to support local community resiliency. Through this program, the CenterPoint Energy Foundation is donating funds for more than 20 backup generators at key locations throughout its 12-county Greater Houston region. It is expected that there will be at least one generator or other support for each county.

The company is working in close collaboration with local Offices of Emergency Management (OEMs) and other county and city leaders to identify the appropriate locations for the donated generators to be able to have the greatest impact and local benefit.

The Community Generator Donation Program is part of CenterPoint's Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative (GHRI). The backup generators will help provide support for critical community partners during major weather events or other emergencies and will be funded through a $5 million grant from the CenterPoint Energy Foundation at no cost to customers. The CenterPoint Energy Foundation is a charitable giving organization focused on strengthening the quality of life in the communities served by the company. The foundation is funded by shareholders and has no impact on customer rates. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com/Foundation.

“We are committed to improving resiliency in our local communities and working closely with our community partners to achieve this important goal. Today, we are donating backup generation to support our partners in Harris County, and we look forward to sharing other locations for our Community Generator Donation Program with other counties and cities in the weeks ahead. These generators are each capable of powering an entire large building and will help make the communities we are proud to serve even more resilient during major storms and other emergency events," said Darin Carroll, CenterPoint's Senior Vice President of Electric Business.

These backup generators will provide an additional power supply during major storms and other emergency events that cause outages. Facilities that receive the donated backup generators will be able to better serve their communities during outages, acting as hubs for essential services like medical care, cooling stations, water and food distribution, charging stations for critical devices and other services.

Working with Community Partners on Locations
To support local community needs, CenterPoint worked closely with county and city officials and OEMs to identify and select the ideal locations for the donated generators, with local officials ultimately deciding which critical facilities will receive the donations.

“On behalf of Harris County residents, especially those in the Fifth Ward area, I want to thank the CenterPoint Energy Foundation for the generous donation of a generator for the Youth Education Town Center. We will be entering hurricane season in about two weeks, so the generator will help this community that really relies on the YET as an emergency shelter. In a disadvantaged neighborhood like this, we also can depend on the generator to make sure everyone is protected from extreme weather and has adequate supplies to survive, including food and water," said Rodney Ellis, Harris County Precinct 1 Commissioner.

CenterPoint will continue coordinating with local community partners to ensure the backup generators are suitable to meet the specific needs of the critical facilities they have identified. The goal is to have all generators installed by June 1, 2025, to further resiliency ahead of the 2025 hurricane season.

CenterPoint is working with other county OEMs, and county and city leaders across the Greater Houston region to make similar announcements in the coming weeks.

PHOTO: From L to R: Alexsaundra Preston, Director of Communications for the Office of Commissioner Rodney Ellis; John Robinson, Director of the YET Center; Joshua McGinty, CenterPoint Service Area Manager for Bellaire; Robert Young, CenterPoint Service Area Director for Bellaire and Spring Branch; Rodney Ellis, Harris County Precinct 1 Commissioner; Darin Carroll, CenterPoint Senior Vice President of Electric Business; June Deadrick, CenterPoint Vice President of Community Relations; Keith Stephens, CenterPoint Senior Vice President and Chief Communications and Marketing Officer

More photos: CNP Digital Asset Mgmt

About CenterPoint Energy, Inc.
CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) is a multi-state electric and natural gas delivery company serving approximately 7 million metered customers across Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio, and Texas. The company is headquartered in Houston and is the only Texas-domiciled investor-owned utility. As of March 31, 2025, the company had approximately $44 billion in assets. With approximately 8,300 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been serving customers 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 the GHRI and longer-term resiliency plans, 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 or the date that such statement is made, as applicable. 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) business strategies and strategic initiatives, restructurings, joint ventures, acquisitions or dispositions of assets or businesses involving CenterPoint Energy or its industry; (2) CenterPoint Energy's ability to fund and invest planned capital, and the timely recovery of its investments; (3) financial market and general economic conditions; (4) the timing and impact of future regulatory, legislative and political actions or developments; 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, 2024 and other reports CenterPoint Energy or its subsidiaries may file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

CenterPoint Energy Foundation proudly sponsors Houston Disaster Readiness and Resilience Clinic & Expo to prepare for 2025 hurricane season

HOUSTON – May 13, 2025 – As part of its ongoing efforts to prepare for the 2025 hurricane season, CenterPoint Energy today announced its Foundation's lead sponsorship of the City of Houston's Disaster Readiness and Resilience Clinic & Expo on May 17, the largest emergency preparedness event in Texas. The free community event, which is hosted by the City of Houston, Harris County and community partners, will take place at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Downtown Houston from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. and will brings thousands of Houstonians together to enhance overall resilience and emergency preparedness.

“As we all prepare for the 2025 hurricane season, the CenterPoint Energy Foundation is proud to support this critical, city-wide resiliency event alongside our city, county and community partners. We encourage all our customers around Houston to attend to learn about key resources in their communities and make an emergency plan to stay safe when extreme weather strikes," said Keith Stephens, CenterPoint's Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer.

The Disaster Readiness and Resilience Clinic & Expo will include interactive exhibits and educational panels with public officials, emergency response agencies and community organizations, to provide important safety information and resources to help Houstonians prepare for hurricanes and other emergencies. The event will also feature a Disaster Access and Functional Needs Clinic to provide tailored support and services for individuals with specific needs during emergencies. To learn more or sign up for the event, visit getreadyexpo.org.

Hurricane preparedness: Getting ready for the start of hurricane season
CenterPoint's local support for the Disaster Readiness and Resilience Clinic & Expo is part of a series of historic actions taken since last year, which includes the completion of the second phase of the Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative (GHRI) before June 1, 2025, or the official start of the hurricane season. Among the actions the company has taken are:

Completing historic system improvements: Through the second phase of GHRI, installing 25,000 stronger, more storm-resilient poles; installing 4,850 automated devices; clearing high-risk vegetation from 4,000 miles of power lines; undergrounding 400 miles of power lines; and installing 100 weather stations to provide real-time weather monitoring.
Working with emergency partners to get ready: Coordinating with local officials, emergency management offices and community partners to prepare for extreme weather events, including through joint emergency response exercises.
Donating and installing emergency generators to key locations through its Foundation's Community Generator Donation Program: Working with local communities to provide backup generators to critical facilities and community centers that provide essential services in emergencies.

CenterPoint will continue to provide updates on its progress toward completing its critical resiliency actions and other GHRI commitments before June 1. More information is available at CenterPointEnergy.com/TakingAction.

About CenterPoint Energy, Inc.
CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) is a multi-state electric and natural gas delivery company serving approximately 7 million metered customers across Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio, and Texas. The company is headquartered in Houston and is the only Texas-domiciled investor-owned utility. As of March 31, 2025, the company had approximately $44 billion in assets. With approximately 8,300 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been serving customers for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com.