CenterPoint Energy Launches Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative
As first phase, company announces 30 days of immediate resiliency actions to reduce the risk of outages this hurricane season
2024-08-05T05:00:00Z

​​​​​Houston — Aug.5, 2024 – Today, CenterPoint Energy announced its Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative that includes a series of immediate actions to improve resiliency and reduce the risk of outages from the next major storm or hurricane. The initiative, which reflects direct feedback from Governor Abbott, includes an accelerated timeline to execute specific actions to strengthen electric infrastructure across Houston, and more than 40 critical actions in total to strengthen the electric grid, and improve the company's customer communications and emergency coordination before the next hurricane.

“We have heard the calls for change, and we are taking action now. This first phase of our Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative will focus on a series of targeted actions to immediately strengthen our infrastructure across our communities. We know we have a lot of work to do to re-earn our customers' trust. This initiative reflects our commitment to become the most resilient coastal utility in the country," said CenterPoint President and CEO Jason Wells.

Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative: Taking Action Now  

Over the remainder of the month, more than 2,500 CenterPoint frontline workers and contractors will be taking a series of targeted actions to strengthen the grid and reduce the risk of outages before the next major storm. These actions include:

  • Installing stronger and more storm-resilient poles: CenterPoint will be replacing approximately 1,000 wooden poles by August 31 with stronger fiberglass poles that can withstand winds up to 132 MPH.
  • Trimming or removing vegetation from our lines: CenterPoint has doubled its vegetation management workforce in order to remove higher-risk vegetation near power lines by August 31.
  • Installing automated devices: CenterPoint will install approximately 300 automated devices, known as trip savers. These devices mean that fewer customers experience outages, and quicker restoration times for those who do. The devices automatically re-energize the line in certain outages, to help keep the power on for customers.

Meeting Governor Abbott's Accelerated Timeline

During a meeting with Governor Abbott last week, the Governor expressed the need for an accelerated timeline of actions outlined within the company's proposed Plan of Action that included more than 40 key actions to improve the resiliency of the electric grid and the company's overall emergency preparedness. CenterPoint committed to the more accelerated timeline designed to strengthen the grid throughout the month of August as part of its Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative.

“We share the Governor's urgency around hurricane preparedness and increased resiliency of the grid and are committed to completing these critical actions on an accelerated timeline. The actions we are taking this month are just the beginning. We want to exceed the Governor's and our customers' expectations and improve in every aspect of our emergency response – before, during, and after any future storm or hurricane," Wells said.

The accelerated timeline for resiliency-focused actions, which represents the first phase of its Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative, will be executed throughout the month of August, and will include work across our Houston community. CenterPoint has already completed 15 of the actions and will be providing ongoing updates on its progress. CenterPoint's full list of actions, including the new, accelerated timeline for execution can be accessed here.

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 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 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. ​​

 Recent News

 

 
CenterPoint Energy activates Emergency Operations Center as it prepares to respond to Winter Storm Enzo across the Greater Houston area

Company activated its Emergency Operations Center to coordinate response and restoration efforts

Winter precipitation and freezing temperatures expected to begin overnight; snow/ice accumulation on Tuesday and Wednesday could impact road accessibility and outage restoration in some places

Approximately 3,000 CenterPoint and mutual aid personnel pre-positioned and ready to respond to weather impacts across Greater Houston area

CenterPoint deploys four small generators to support warming centers across the region

CenterPoint urges customers to avoid unnecessary travel, stay away from downed powerlines and have a plan to ensure their safety 

HOUSTON, Jan. 20, 2025 - CenterPoint Energy activated its Emergency Operations Center this afternoon in advance of Winter Storm Enzo's arrival to be prepared to manage its response and restoration efforts. The company is coordinating with state and local emergency partners as it prepares to respond to the potential winter impacts on the Greater Houston area. 

To aid in restoration efforts, CenterPoint Energy is mobilizing an expanded workforce of approximately 3,000 personnel, including 1,200 mutual aid resources, to help address potential outages across its service area. CenterPoint is also sharing proactive safety and preparedness information with customers via direct email, text and auto-dial voice messages as all as social media, and it will continue to provide regular updates on response and restoration efforts. 

"Winter Storm Enzo is poised to hit the Greater Houston area this evening and our teams and mutual aid partners are ready to respond. Our CenterPoint teams have been working for more than a week to prepare and are coordinating with government and industry partners to be ready to respond. We've mobilized 1,200 mutual aid workers, in addition to our own approximately 1,800 plus workers, set up three staging sites across our service area to quickly deploy crews and equipment, and prepared for freezing temperatures and precipitation. Even with this preparation, we know that storms like these can be unpredictable. Extreme weather, road inaccessibility and icy conditions may impact our ability to respond quickly. Our top priority is to ensure the safety of our customers, our workers and partners throughout this impactful winter storm," said Darin Carroll, Senior Vice President of CenterPoint's Electric Business.

Preparedness actions ahead of Winter Storm Enzo
As of 5 p.m. Monday, CenterPoint is taking the following actions to respond to the impacts of Winter Storm Enzo including: 

  • Deployed its winter weather readiness plan last week: The company has been tracking the storm since early last week and started completing critical cold weather actions for both electric and gas systems.
  • Deploying additional mutual aid frontline electric workers: Mobilizing 1,200 mutual aid personnel and our local frontline workers to three staging sites across Greater Houston to support winter storm response and address potential equipment damage and outages.
  • Providing temporary generation to heating centers: Working closely with local government and community partners to identify locations to deploy four small temporary generation units to provide power to local warming centers amid freezing temperatures. More units are staged and ready to deploy if needs arise.
  • Keeping customers informed: Sharing safety and preparedness information and resources with CenterPoint customers through direct outreach, social media and other platforms.
  • Conducting outreach to critical care customers: Reaching out to identified Critical Care Residential and Chronic Condition Residential electric customers by email, phone and/or text.
  • Coordinating with government officials: Providing regular updates to government officials on preparation and response activities and to coordinate on customer support.
  • Holding public briefings on operational updates: Conducting a press briefing on Monday afternoon to provide important updates related to CenterPoint's pre-storm activities; additional briefings may be held to provide operational updates on response and restoration efforts following the storm.
  • Keeping up to date with ERCOT forecasts: An Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) Weather Watch is in effect through Wednesday due to extreme cold weather across the ERCOT region, higher electrical demands and the potential for lower reserves. At this time, according to ERCOT, grid conditions are expected to be normal, but CenterPoint teams remain ready to respond if that should change.

Critical winter readiness actions completed
CenterPoint's emergency preparations for Winter Storm Enzo build upon the annual winter readiness activities that it conducted over the past several months, including annual weatherization requirements from ERCOT and the Railroad Commission of Texas to prepare for winter storms. These actions include: 

  • Inspecting and testing critical equipment, including all 270 substations, to prepare for high demand and cold temperatures;
  • Hardening electric and natural gas infrastructure across the Greater Houston area, including by installing heaters and devices to prevent ice damage or buildup;
  • Maintaining freeze protection equipment and enclosures for cold-weather critical components;
  • Repairing damaged or degraded thermal insulation and water-proofing materials; and
  • Conducting emergency training for hundreds of operational personnel and contractors to prepare for, mitigate and respond to the impacts of severe winter weather.

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 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. 

In addition, customers can get the latest information on CenterPoint's preparedness and response efforts, view important safety tips and access the company's 2025 Winter Energy Guide by visiting CenterPointEnergy.com/StormCenter. 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, see 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 Storm Update: 99.9 percent of customers have power as historic Winter Storm Enzo continues to impact Greater Houston area

As of 11 a.m. on Tuesday, CenterPoint had restored approximately 18,700 customers since the winter storm impacts began; 2,800 customers currently out of power

3,000 CenterPoint personnel and mutual assistance workers are responding to scattered outages across the Greater Houston area

Company urges customers and the public to continue following warnings to stay off roads, ensure their own safety and help prevent power outages

HOUSTON, Jan. 21, 2025 - As of 11 a.m., CenterPoint Energy announced that more than 99.9 percent of its Greater Houston area customers are receiving normal electric service even as Winter Storm Enzo continues to bring significant precipitation and sub-freezing temperatures to the region. As part of its storm mobilization efforts, approximately 3,000 CenterPoint frontline workers, contractors, and mutual aid personnel continue to respond to scattered outages across the 12-county area and have restored power to approximately 18,700 customers since 12:01 a.m. 2,800 customers currently remain out of power.

To help coordinate its overall restoration and response efforts, CenterPoint's Emergency Operations Center remains activated, and the company continues to restore power safely and as quickly as possible. The company continues working with state and local emergency partners to address local issues and remains focused on sharing critical updates and safety information with its 2.8 million customers.

"CenterPoint marshalled thousands of critical resources to prepare for this historic winter weather event that's still impacting the Greater Houston area. While it is very positive that outages remain low at this time, our teams are responding quickly to scattered outages as they occur. We'd like to thank our customers for following the calls from local officials to stay off the roads, giving our frontline professionals the space to operate safely and efficiently and reducing the likelihood of cars hitting power poles. We understand that these conditions are difficult, and for as long as Enzo continues to impact our customers, our CenterPoint team remains fully focused and ready to respond to further impacts of this storm and the sub-freezing temperatures that are expected to continue through Wednesday," said Darin Carroll, Senior Vice President of CenterPoint's Electric Business.

CenterPoint Preparation and Response to Winter Storm Enzo
As of 11 a.m. on Tuesday, CenterPoint's preparation and response actions include:

  • Deploying frontline electric workers: Approximately 3,000 workers, including 1,200 mutual aid personnel, are responding to the winter storm, addressing equipment damage and restoring power to customers.

  • Using partnerships to provide temporary generation to temporary warming centers: Deploying four small temporary generation units to provide power to local warming centers amid freezing temperatures.

  • Keeping customers informed: Sharing safety and preparedness information and resources with CenterPoint customers through direct outreach, social media and other platforms.

  • Conducting outreach to critical care customers: Reaching out to identified Critical Care Residential and Chronic Condition Residential electric customers by email, phone and/or text.

  • Coordinating with government officials: Providing regular updates to government officials on preparation and response activities and to coordinate on customer support.

The National Weather Service issued a Winter Storm Warning for Southeast Texas that remains in effect through 6 p.m. today, as well as an Extreme Cold Watch from 6 p.m. this evening to Wednesday at 9 a.m. An Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) Weather Watch is also in effect through Wednesday due to the extreme cold weather across the ERCOT region, higher electrical demands and the potential for lower reserves. At this time, according to ERCOT, grid conditions are expected to be normal, but CenterPoint teams remain ready to respond if that should change.

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 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. 

In addition, customers can get the latest information on CenterPoint's preparedness and response efforts, view important safety tips and access the company's 2025 Winter Energy Guide by visiting CenterPointEnergy.com/StormCenter. 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, see 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 Winter Storm Enzo Update: More than 99.9 percent of customers continue to have power across Greater Houston area; Crews continuing to respond to scattered customer outages and prepare for coldest overnight temperatures of the year

Houston – Jan. 21, 2025 – With Winter Storm Enzo’s exit from CenterPoint Energy’s Texas service area, its sub-freezing temperatures will persist tonight across the Greater Houston area. CenterPoint shared that more than 99.9 percent of its customers continue to have power and receive normal electric service as of 9 p.m. on Tuesday. Over the last 21 hours, CenterPoint crews and contactors have been responding to scattered outages as they occur and will continue working to address potential impacts from the deep freeze expected overnight and into Wednesday morning. 

Since Winter Storm Enzo began impacting the Greater Houston area last night, approximately 28,500 customers across CenterPoint’s 12-county service area have been restored since 12:01 a.m. As part of its preparation plan, CenterPoint mobilized approximately 3,000 local frontline workers, contractors, and mutual aid personnel to respond to the historic storm. Tonight, CenterPoint has released those mutual aid workers to return to their home states. 

“While we’re encouraged that the actions that we’ve taken to prepare for this winter storm season mitigated the number of overall outages so far, our team remains vigilant and will continue safely responding to any potential overnight impacts. We want to thank those customers who were impacted by Winter Storm Enzo for their patience as we worked to restore them. We also want to thank those mutual aid workers who traveled from as far away as Virginia, North Carolina and Florida to help us prepare for this storm,” said Darin Carroll, Senior Vice President of CenterPoint’s Electric Business.

CenterPoint Preparation and Response to Winter Storm Enzo
As of 9 p.m. on Tuesday, CenterPoint’s preparation and response actions include:

  • Deploying frontline electric workers: CenterPoint workers and local contractors will continue responding to impacts of the winter storm and restoring power to customers. On Tuesday, CenterPoint released mutual aid workers to their home states.
  • Supporting local communities with temporary generation to temporary warming centers: Deploying four small temporary generation units to provide power to local warming centers amid freezing temperatures.
  • Keeping customers informed: Sharing safety and preparedness information and resources with CenterPoint customers through direct outreach, social media and other platforms.
  • Conducting outreach to critical care customers: Reaching out to identified Critical Care Residential and Chronic Condition Residential electric customers by email, phone and/or text.  
  • Coordinating with government officials: Providing regular updates to government officials on preparation and response activities to coordinate customer support. 

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 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. 

In addition, customers can get the latest information on CenterPoint's preparedness and response efforts, view important safety tips and access the company's 2025 Winter Energy Guide by visiting CenterPointEnergy.com/StormCenter. 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, see updates from the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Houston/Galveston at weather.gov/hgx.
Winter Storm Enzo poised to impact Gulf Coast and Greater Houston area; CenterPoint Energy crews and additional mutual aid workers mobilized and ready to respond

National Weather Service Winter Storm Warning to take effect Monday 6 pm as forecasts converge on freezing precipitation and accumulation across Greater Houston

Three staging sites set-up and approximately 1,200 additional mutual aid workers set to arrive today ahead of the storm to support potential restoration efforts

Company activating emergency operations center this afternoon ahead of the projected arrival of precipitation

CenterPoint urges customers to take public plea seriously to stay home Tuesday and avoid driving, be weather alert and have a plan to stay safe and warm through freezing temperatures

HOUSTON, Jan. 20, 2025 - Winter Storm Enzo is poised to impact the Gulf Coast and the Greater Houston area with bitter cold temperatures and freezing precipitation tonight. To meet this winter weather challenge, CenterPoint Energy is activating its emergency operations center today along with three staging sites to be prepared to respond to any power outages that Winter Storm Enzo may bring. The company has been closely monitoring the winter storm since last week and over the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend. In the lead-up to the storm's arrival, CenterPoint has been executing its cold weather readiness plan. 

The company's three staging sites will host 1,200 additional mutual aid workers and help pre-position crews, vehicles, equipment and materiel needed for restoration across its service territory to be able to respond to service issues safely and as quickly as possible. CenterPoint crews and the nearly 1,200 mutual aid workers will address any weather impacts on the electric system.

CenterPoint's Emergency Preparedness and Response, Meteorology and Operations teams will remain on alert through the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday and continue to utilize in-house and third-party weather modeling and historical data from previous weather events to plan for all potential impacts to CenterPoint's system.

"Our CenterPoint teams are prepared and ready to respond to any impacts from Winter Storm Enzo. We're activating our emergency operations center, standing up three staging sites across the Greater Houston area and will be onboarding approximately 1,200 mutual assistance workers who are arriving today to support potential restoration efforts. Crews will be pre-positioned across our service territory before the precipitation starts this evening, and we will continue to diligently monitor the weather and our systems as we prepare for the storm's impact," said Darin Carroll, Senior Vice President of CenterPoint's Electric Business.

"We ask our customers and the public to take seriously the pleas from elected leaders and local officials to not travel on Tuesday. Weather conditions and roads are expected to be poor, and we want to keep our crews and our mutual aid partners safe while they are working to restore power or travelling to a location to do so. Additionally, we urge everyone to take steps and get prepared before the precipitation starts to keep themselves and their loved ones safe through the storm's impact. Customers should continue monitoring the forecasts, stay alert to changing weather conditions, follow guidance from local government and emergency officials and have an emergency plan in place, especially if they rely on life-sustaining equipment," said Carroll.

In preparation for the mixture of snow, sleet and freezing rain anticipated to impact the region, the National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for Southeast Texas beginning at 6 p.m. today through 6 p.m. tomorrow.

An Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) Weather Watch is also in effect from today through Wednesday due to extreme cold weather across the ERCOT region, higher electrical demand, and the potential for lower reserves. At this time, according to ERCOT, grid conditions are expected to be normal, but CenterPoint teams remain ready to respond if that should change.

Cold weather preparations
The company has a cold weather readiness plan in place and has performed a series of proactive pre-winter preparedness actions to strengthen and winterize its infrastructure across Texas, including inspecting and testing cold-weather critical equipment. In addition to securing an additional 1,200 mutual aid resources to assist with restoration efforts, additional call center resources have been secured in anticipation of call volume rising and support platforms have been load-tested to meet higher demand as customers seek information during and after the storm. CenterPoint is also deploying cold weather mitigations across its electric and natural gas infrastructure, coordinating with relevant local emergency responders and government officials, and making plans to mobilize emergency response resources.

Stay informed before, during and after the storm with CenterPoint's Storm Center, Power Alert Service® and the CenterPoint Texas X account
CenterPoint is encouraging all customers to prepare and have a plan to stay safe during Winter Storm Enzo. Customers can read the latest news on CenterPoint's preparedness and response efforts, view important safety tips, and access the company's 2025 Winter Energy Guide by visiting CenterPointEnergy.com/StormCenter.

While CenterPoint continues to provide information around this weather event to its 2.8 million electric customers, including those designated as critical care, the company also encourages all electric customers to enroll in the company's Power Alert Service® to receive winter storm 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.

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

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

SOURCE CenterPoint Energy

CenterPoint Energy Prepared to Respond to Impacts of Winter Storm Enzo for Gas Customers in Louisiana

Lake Charles, La. – Jan. 20, 2025 – As Winter Storm Enzo and freezing temperatures and wintry precipitation are set to begin impacting the Gulf Coast region starting Monday night, CenterPoint Energy is actively monitoring the storm and preparing to respond to potential impacts on the company's natural gas system in Louisiana. CenterPoint continues to execute its cold weather readiness action plan, including coordinating with state and local officials; pre-positioning crews and equipment to respond quickly and safely to potential service interruptions; as well as proactively sharing safety and preparedness information with all customers.

“Since last week, our CenterPoint team has been mobilizing and preparing to respond as safely and quickly as possible to the impacts of this extreme weather event on our natural gas customers in Louisiana. Winter storms are unpredictable, and conditions like ice accumulation and road closures can affect our ability to quickly respond. To help ensure the safety of our personnel and customers, we encourage everyone to follow warnings from local officials, avoid unnecessary travel and plan ahead to stay safe and warm during this hard freeze. Working together, we will meet the challenge ahead," said Richard Leger, Senior Vice President of CenterPoint's Gas Business.

Preparing the natural gas system for winter weather
Ahead of Winter Storm Enzo, and as part of a suite of annual winter readiness actions to harden its natural gas system against extreme cold and winter storms, CenterPoint has completed the following preparations:

  • Testing and reinforcing gas infrastructure and verifying that all equipment is aligned with cold-weather settings.
  • Keeping gas technicians on standby to respond to the impacts of the storm and sub-freezing temperatures.
  • Strategically positioning compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks to be deployed to supplement the natural gas system if needed.
  • Proactively communicating with customers to share important safety and preparedness information by phone call, text, email and on social media.

2025 Winter Energy Guide

CenterPoint recently launched its Winter Energy Guide, a comprehensive online resource hub that helps customers throughout the winter heating season. The guide features practical and important safety, energy savings and bill management tips to help customers stay safe and warm throughout the winter season. The company encourages customers to use this helpful resource to create their own cold weather plans so that they're prepared for winter weather ahead. To learn more about the Winter Energy Guide, visit CenterPointEnergy.com/ReadyForWinter.