CenterPoint Energy advances cleaner energy goals by investing in made-in-Minnesota renewable natural gas
Locally produced renewable energy resource expected to support Minnesota customers’ year-round needs for safe, reliable service
2025-09-24T05:00:00Z

​MINNEAPOLIS – SEPT. 24, 2025 – CenterPoint Energy has signed an agreement with Vanguard Renewables to purchase renewable natural gas (RNG) created from food, beverage and farm waste at a new facility located on a farm near Litchfield, Minn. in Meeker County. CenterPoint plans for this made-in-Minnesota renewable energy project to be interconnected to its distribution system, powering customers' homes and businesses. ​

RNG can be developed by recycling organic waste from farms, food scraps, wastewater treatment facilities, yard clippings and other localized methane sources that would typically vent to the atmosphere to produce pipeline-quality gas that can be used directly in place of conventional natural gas.

“CenterPoint Energy is taking strategic action to invest in a made-in-Minnesota renewable energy source to meet our customers' needs and provide economic benefits to the communities we serve in Meeker County," said Brad Steber, CenterPoint Vice President, Minnesota Gas. “This project helps us provide customers with an additional lower carbon energy resource for continued safe and reliable service, while accelerating the decarbonization efforts of our state."

Vanguard Renewables' Meeker County RNG project was selected through a competitive process that evaluated factors such as cost-effectiveness, proposed greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions and ability to connect to CenterPoint's distribution system by 2029. CenterPoint expects to select additional RNG projects over the coming months through a competitive process.  

“This agreement with CenterPoint Energy reflects our shared commitment to deploying cleaner energy technologies that benefit both the environment and local communities," said Michael O'Laughlin, CEO at Vanguard Renewables. “This project also represents a deeper investment in the Midwest, where we are bringing our circular model to life by harnessing the power of waste to build local infrastructure, support multigenerational farmers and reduce greenhouse gas emissions."

Vanguard Renewables' facility will be located at a dairy and crop farm in Meeker County, expected to process up to 290 tons of food, beverage and farm waste each day to generate RNG. The project is anticipated by Vanguard Renewables to create up to 100 construction jobs and 10 permanent operational roles.

CenterPoint's innovation plan
This project is part of CenterPoint's five-year innovation plan submitted under Minnesota's Natural Gas Innovation Act (NGIA), which enables natural gas utilities to invest in renewable energy resources and innovative technologies to help reduce Minnesota's GHG emissions.

CenterPoint's innovation plan includes 17 pilot projects and seven research and development efforts and is expected to reduce or avoid an estimated 1.1 million tons of carbon emissions over the lifetime of the projects.

CenterPoint is committed to helping residential and business customers reduce GHG emissions attributable to their end-use of natural gas by 20-30% by 2035 (from a 2021 baseline). The company's innovation plan is designed to support customers in reducing emissions from their own energy use.

Visit CenterPointEnergy.com/NGIA for more information.

 
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 June 30, 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 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 amounts of waste processed and RNG produced pursuant to, associated extent of GHG emissions reductions relating to, the number of jobs created in connection with, other anticipated benefits (including economic benefits) of and timing relating to CenterPoint Energy's agreement with Vanguard Renewables and the connection of the associated RNG to CenterPoint Energy's distribution system, CenterPoint Energy's ability to execute on its innovation plan and its anticipated benefits, including the planned scope of projects, the associated extent of GHG emission reductions, the advancement of decarbonization efforts 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, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties relating to: (1) business strategies and strategic initiatives, 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 CenterPoint's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2025 and June 30, 2025 and other reports CenterPoint Energy or its subsidiaries may file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Net Zero Disclaimer
CenterPoint Energy's Scope 1 GHG emissions estimates are calculated from GHG emissions that directly come from its operations. CenterPoint Energy's Scope 2 GHG emissions estimates are calculated from GHG emissions that indirectly come from its energy usage, but because Texas is in an unregulated market, its Scope 2 GHG emissions estimates do not take into account Texas electric transmission and distribution assets in the line loss calculation and exclude GHG emissions related to purchased power between 2024E-2026E. CenterPoint Energy's Scope 3 GHG emissions estimates are based on the total natural gas supply delivered to residential and commercial customers as reported in the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) Form EIA-176 reports and do not take into account the GHG emissions of transport customers and GHG emissions related to upstream extraction.  CenterPoint Energy's analysis and plan for execution to achieve its Net Zero GHG emissions (Scope 1 and certain Scope 2) by 2035 goals and its 20-30% reduction in Scope 3 GHG emissions by 2035 as compared to 2021 levels goal require it to make a number of assumptions. These goals and underlying assumptions involve risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees. Should one or more of these underlying assumptions require updating, CenterPoint Energy's actual results and ability to make progress towards and achieve its Net Zero and GHG emissions reduction goals and the timing thereof could differ materially from its expectations. Certain of the assumptions that could impact its ability to make progress towards and meet its Net Zero and GHG emissions reduction goals and the timing thereof include, but are not limited to: GHG emission levels, service territory size and capacity needs remaining in line with company expectations (including with respect to demand for our services); the ability to appropriately estimate and effectively manage business opportunities from new customers and load growth resulting from, among other things, expansion of data centers, energy export facilities, including hydrogen facilities, electrification of industrial processes and transport and logistics in our service territories; regulatory approvals related to Indiana Electric's generation transition plan and CenterPoint Energy's ability to obtain such approvals; impacts on affordability of customer rates; customer demand for GHG emissions free or lower GHG emissions energy; impacts of regulations, executive action or legislation, including those related to the environment and tax matters (including the effects of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Executive Order 14315 and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and any further changes to or the repeal of the IRA); impacts of future carbon pricing regulation or legislation; price, availability and regulation of carbon offsets; price of fuel, such as natural gas; cost of energy generation technologies, such as wind and solar, natural gas and storage solutions; adoption of alternative energy by the public, including adoption of electric vehicles; rate of technology innovation with regards to alternative energy resources; CenterPoint Energy's ability to implement its modernization plans for its pipelines and facilities; the ability to complete and timely implement generation alternatives to Indiana Electric's coal generation and retirement or fuel conversion dates of Indiana Electric's coal facilities by 2035; the ability to construct and/or permit new natural gas pipelines; the ability to procure resources needed to build at a reasonable cost, the lack of or scarcity of resources and labor, the lack of any project cancellations, construction delays or overruns (including as a result of tariffs, legislation, bans, potential retaliatory trade measures taken against the United States or related governmental action) and the ability to appropriately estimate costs of new generation; impact of any supply chain disruptions; changes in applicable standards, metrics, methodologies or frameworks; and enhancement of energy efficiencies. 


 Recent News

 

 
CenterPoint Energy to Activate Emergency Operations Center for All FIFA 2026 World Cup Matches Taking Place in Houston

​HOUSTON – June 12, 2026 – Today, CenterPoint announced it will activate its Emergency Operation Center (EOC) during each of Houston's seven FIFA World Cup 2026™ games scheduled between this Sunday, June 14 through July 4, as part of its overall preparedness efforts for this historic sporting event. In addition to activating its EOC on matchdays, CenterPoint will also be proactively pre-staging frontline crews and coordinating with the Host Committee, City of Houston officials and other local, state and federal agencies throughout the World Cup. CenterPoint's matchday actions build on its year-long preparations to support Houston hosting the global event, including completing nearly 700 electric resiliency projects — such as repairing or replacing equipment on all circuits providing power to World Cup priority locations across the Greater Houston area — and inspections of nearly 250 miles of natural gas pipelines across multiple key areas such as hotels, training facilities, airports and transit routes.

“Seven World Cup matches are like seven Super Bowls in a month, and our CenterPoint team and emergency response partners have been preparing for this incredible sporting event for well over a year. With the eyes of the world on our city and people travelling in from far and wide to cheer on their favorite team, we have a matchday gameplan and will be coordinating our response efforts through our Emergency Operations Center during each of these key events," said Jesus Soto, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, CenterPoint Energy.

CenterPoint Emergency Operations Activations: Houston World Cup Matches
CenterPoint will be activating its Emergency Operations Center during each match played at Houston Stadium on the following days:

  • Sunday, June 14, 12 p.m.: Germany vs Curaçao
  • Wednesday, June 17, 12 p.m.: Portugal vs Congo DR
  • Saturday, June 20, 12 p.m.: Netherlands vs Sweden
  • Tuesday, June 23, 12 p.m.: Portugal vs Uzbekistan
  • Friday, June 26, 7 p.m.: Cabo Verde vs Saudi Arabia
  • Monday, June 29, 12 p.m.: TBD vs TBD
  • Saturday, July 4, 12 p.m.: TBD vs TBD

World Cup Preparedness & Readiness Efforts: Key Actions
As part of its overall preparedness and readiness efforts for the nearly month-long World Cup schedule, in October 2025, CenterPoint began undertaking a series of actions to prepare the electric system and support the City of Houston and all critical event locations. Among the critical actions taken include:

  • Completing Nearly 700 Resiliency Projects: Completing nearly 700 electric system projects around critical event venues and other priority locations to help strengthen reliability.
  • Inspecting Nearly 250 Miles of Natural Gas Pipeline: Completed additional gas facilities surveys across 140 miles of gas main piping and more than 100 miles of service line piping.
  • Conducting Critical Grid Inspections: Inspecting primary and alternate circuits serving World Cup priority locations, with initial inspections beginning in July 2025 and follow-up inspections identifying issues for repair ahead of the event.
  • Completing Targeted Work at Key Locations: Focusing critical preparedness work around key World Cup-related locations, including NRG Park, Shell Energy Stadium, the EaDo Fan Festival area, airports, transit routes, hotels and training-related sites.
  • Developing an Action Plan: Building an event-specific action plan to define staffing, response objectives, escalation criteria and resource coordination during the World Cup matches.
  • Coordinating with Local Emergency Partners: Coordinating with the City of Houston, emergency managers and external partners on planning, emergency response and operational readiness.
  • Participating in a Local Emergency Exercise: Participating in a World Cup tabletop exercise facilitated by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and hosted by the City of Houston to test coordination and response capabilities.
  • Pre-Staging Resources: Preparing additional operational support and response resources to be staged near priority areas to support faster restoration if issues occur.
  • Activating our Emergency Operations Center: CenterPoint will be activating its new state-of-the-art Emergency Operations Center in advance of and during each match to help prepare for and coordinate CenterPoint's event support.

About CenterPoint Energy, Inc.

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

CenterPoint Energy Foundation awards more than 30 Community Safety Grants to strengthen Minnesota communities

​​MINNEAPOLIS – June 11, 2026 – The CenterPoint Energy Foundation awarded more than 30 Community Safety Grants for 2026 totaling approximately $75,000 to local governmental agencies and first responders across its Minnesota service area. The grants help fund vital safety equipment and projects to make a meaningful difference and enhance the quality of life for the communities and customers CenterPoint serves.

The CenterPoint Energy Foundation awards grants of up to $2,500 to eligible local governmental agencies to support community safety needs. Since launching the program in Minnesota in 2003, more than 1,200 grants have been awarded, funding projects to strengthen public safety and community wellbeing.

“At CenterPoint, safety is our top core value, and this drives every effort we take for the customers and communities we have the privilege of serving. We know safe communities are strong communities, and that's why we invest in programs to enhance the safety of the locations where we live and work," said Brad Steber, CenterPoint's Vice President of Minnesota Gas. “These grants help local leaders and first responders bring important safety projects to life to benefit our fellow Minnesotans. We are proud to support the men and women who work every day to keep our shared communities safe."

This year's grants support a wide range of projects, including installing public automated external defibrillators, upgrading emergency communication equipment, purchasing personal protective equipment for first responders, strengthening disaster preparedness efforts and investing in utility locating equipment.

Funded separately and financially independently from the utility, the CenterPoint Energy Foundation strives to be a catalyst for good by leveraging everyday opportunities and resources to increase the vibrancy in the communities it serves.  

To learn more about CenterPoint's commitment to the communities it serves, visit CenterPointEnergy.com/Community.  

About the CenterPoint Energy Foundation

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

CenterPoint Energy Launches Multi-Week Series of “Community Connect” Open House Events Across Greater Houston

​HOUSTON — June 11, 2026 — Beginning on June 23rd and continuing through August, CenterPoint Energy will hold more than 13 “Community Connect" events in neighborhoods across Greater Houston. The local outreach events, which will include a range of CenterPoint team members and customer representatives, will provide opportunities for customers, community members and local leaders to learn more about ongoing reliability, resiliency and communications improvements, as well as efforts taken to prepare for the 2026 hurricane season.

“All of us at CenterPoint bear an important responsibility to serve our Greater Houston communities, and we are committed to building a more reliable and resilient electric grid for all our customers. Just as important is connecting with our customers, their families and friends, at a local level – where they live and call home – so they can all learn more about the important work we are doing in their neighborhood and across our great city. We hope every customer will take some time and join us, so we can answer their questions and hear how we can better serve them," said Keith Stephens, CenterPoint Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer.

Community Connect Events: Meet Local CenterPoint Team
The first Community Connect event will begin on Tuesday, June 23rd, at the Wesley Community Center, with additional events held every week across Greater Houston. During each local meeting, community members will be invited to visit a variety of informational stations, share feedback and ask one-on-one questions to CenterPoint experts and team members, as well as learn more about the various tools and resources available to stay better informed during periods of extreme weather and major storms. Among the areas that will be covered during each Community Connect event include:

  • Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative Updates: Actions taken as part of the multi-year GHRI program in their local neighborhoods;
  • Strengthening Resiliency & Reliability: Overall resiliency and grid improvements taken and planned across Greater Houston, as well as the targeted efforts to improve day-to-day reliability for every community;
  • Enhanced Communications Tools: Learning about how to best use the new neighborhood Outage Tracker, as well as one-on-one assistance on how to sign up for Power Alert Service®: to stay better informed about outages before, during and after a storm;
  • Storm Preparations: The scope of readiness and emergency preparedness actions taken to prepare for the 2026 hurricane season, including the opportunity to work with local organizations to develop personalized storm readiness plans;
  • Emergency Preparedness Resources: Providing customers with resources and tools to prepare for storms and extreme weather.

Calendar of Community Connect Events: Dates and Locations
Over the coming days and weeks, residents and neighbors, and small business and community leaders, will be invited to attend a local Community Connect event. The calendar of Community Connect events includes:

  • Tuesday, June 23 (10:00 AM – 12:00 PM): Wesley Community Center, 1235 Lorraine St. Houston, TX 77009
  • Thursday, June 25 (4:00 – 6:00 PM): Weekley Community Center, 8440 Greenhouse Rd. Cypress, TX 77433
  • Monday, June 29 (4:00 – 6:00 PM): Historic Galveston Water/Electric Community Center, 715 30th St. Galveston, TX 77550
  • Tuesday, June 30 (4:00 – 6:00 PM): Waller County Community Center, 21274 FM 1098 Prairie View, TX 77446
  • Tuesday, July 7 (4:00 – 6:00 PM): BakerRipley-Pasadena, 720 Fairmont Pkwy. Pasadena, TX 77504
  • Tuesday, July 7 (6:00 – 7:30 PM): Wharton County Library, 1920 N. Fulton St. Wharton, TX 77488
  • Tuesday, July 14 (4:00 – 6:00 PM): Decker Prairie Community Center, 32434 Decker Prairie Rd. Magnolia, TX 77355
  • Tuesday, July 21 (4:00 – 6:00 PM): Pearland Recreation Center, 4141 Bailey Rd. Pearland, TX 77584
  • Thursday, July 23 (4:00 – 6:00 PM): Landmark Community Center, 100 Louisiana St. Missouri City, TX 77489
  • Thursday, July 23 (4:00 – 6:00 PM): Chambers County Children Museum, 10955 Eagle Dr. Mont Belvieu, TX 77523
  • Tuesday, July 28 (5:00 – 7:00 PM): Clyde & Nancy Jacks Conference Center, 3232 Austin Pkwy. Sugarland, TX 77479
  • Thursday, July 30 (4:00 – 6:00 PM): Jimmy Walker Community Center, 800 Harris Ave. Kemah, TX 77565
  • Tuesday, August 4 (4:00 – 6:00 PM): Sealy Columbus Club, 1310 Highway 90 West Sealy, TX 77474

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

CenterPoint Energy Readies Electric and Gas Systems for FIFA World Cup

​Nearly 700 electric projects completed and nearly 250 miles of natural gas pipeline inspected around critical event venues ahead of seven World Cup matches in Houston

Heightened readiness and close coordination efforts with City of Houston, FIFA Host Committee, and emergency management agencies to continue from June 11 through July 4

HOUSTON – June 9, 2026 – As the city of Houston prepares to welcome fans from around the world for the FIFA World Cup 2026™, CenterPoint Energy has spent the past year executing a series of targeted actions to strengthen its overall preparedness and readiness efforts for this historic global sporting event. To date, CenterPoint has completed nearly 700 electric resiliency projects spanning over 100 miles of electric lines, which included repairing or replacing equipment on all circuits providing power to World Cup priority locations like key venues, transit corridors, hotels, airports and others across Greater Houston. In addition, CenterPoint has completed inspections on nearly 250 miles of natural gas pipeline surrounding key venues.

With seven World Cup matches scheduled in Houston between June 14 and July 4, CenterPoint will operate at a heightened readiness posture, which includes the activation of its Emergency Operations Center before, during and after each match. CenterPoint will continue to work closely with City of Houston officials and other local, state and federal agencies as part of a combined response effort. 

“Preparing for seven World Cup matches is like preparing for seven Super bowls. For over a year, our teams have worked to strengthen the electric and gas systems around all critical venues and to closely coordinate with all our emergency management partners to help prepare our great city. All of us at CenterPoint are proud to do our part to support this global event, and we are excited for our city and the world to enjoy this historic sporting event," said Jesus Soto, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, CenterPoint Energy.

World Cup Preparedness & Readiness Efforts: Key Actions

As part of its overall preparedness and readiness efforts for the nearly month-long World Cup schedule, in October 2025, CenterPoint began undertaking a series of actions to prepare the electric and natural gas systems to support the City of Houston and all critical event locations. Among the critical actions taken include:  ​

  • Completing Nearly 700 Reliability Projects: Completing nearly 700 electric system projects around critical event venues and other priority locations to help strengthen reliability.
  • Conducting Critical Grid Inspections: Inspecting primary and alternate circuits serving World Cup priority locations, with initial inspections beginning in July 2025 and follow-up inspections identifying issues for repair ahead of the event.
  • Completing Targeted Work at Key Locations: Focusing critical preparedness work around key World Cup-related locations, including NRG Park, Shell Energy Stadium, the EaDo Fan Festival area, airports, transit routes, hotels and training-related sites.
  • Inspecting Nearly 250 Miles of Natural Gas Pipeline: completed additional gas facilities surveys across 140 miles of gas main lines and more than 100 miles of service lines around key event venues.
  • Developing an Action Plan: Building an event-specific action plan to define staffing, response objectives, escalation criteria and resource coordination during the World Cup matches.
  • Coordinating with Local Emergency Partners: Coordinating with the City of Houston, emergency managers and external partners on planning, emergency response and operational readiness.
  • Participating in a Local Emergency Exercise: Participating in a World Cup tabletop exercise facilitated by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and hosted by the City of Houston to test coordination and response capabilities.
  • Pre-Staging Resources: Preparing additional operational support and response resources to be staged near priority areas to support faster restoration if issues occur.
  • Activating our Emergency Operations Center: CenterPoint will be activating its new state-of-the-art Emergency Operations Center in advance of and during each match to help prepare for and coordinate CenterPoint's event support.​

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

CenterPoint Energy teams monitoring severe storms forecasted for southwestern Indiana and preparing for potential impacts

​The company is executing preparedness actions ahead of storms 

Customers encouraged to stay safe and prepare emergency plans 

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – June 8, 2026 – CenterPoint Energy is monitoring forecasts for potentially severe thunderstorms across the region and preparing for potential impacts as storms are expected to move through southwestern Indiana this week. According to the National Weather Service, strong, damaging winds are possible.

CenterPoint's preparedness actions include:

  • Monitoring weather forecasts and conditions
  • Preparing crews and equipment across its service territory
  • ​Coordinating with local government officials and other stakeholders on storm readiness
  • Sharing safety and preparedness information directly with customers

“Our Emergency Preparedness and Response team has been monitoring the potential for severe storms and our teams are fully prepared and stand ready to respond," said Mike Roeder, President of CenterPoint Energy Indiana. “We encourage our customers to stay alert in anticipation of changing weather conditions and take steps now to prepare."

CenterPoint encourages customers to prepare for severe weather: