Historic Milestone: CenterPoint Energy installs 50,000th storm-resilient power pole to improve resiliency across Greater Houston
Storm-resilient poles represent key infrastructure upgrade as part of CenterPoint’s Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative; GHRI-related infrastructure improvements have reduced customer outage minutes by more than 100 million in 2025
2025-12-18T06:00:00Z

HOUSTON – Dec. 18, 2025 – Today, CenterPoint Energy announced a historic milestone as part of its Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative (GHRI), and its commitment to become the most resilient coastal grid in the nation, with the installation of its 50,000th storm-resistant distribution utility pole since August 2024. To improve overall resiliency as part of the GHRI, CenterPoint is replacing existing poles with state-of-the-art, storm-resilient infrastructure poles built to withstand 110+ mph and 130+ mph, hurricane-force winds depending on location. This historic installation in the Near Northside Community, and the 50,000 stronger poles across the energy system, were prioritized strategically in areas most impacted by powerful storms and winds, where they will have the greatest positive impact on customer reliability.

“We’re working hard each and every day for our customers and the communities we’re proud to serve, and this milestone is yet another example of our ongoing commitment to building the most resilient coastal grid in the nation and the real, meaningful impact our actions are having for our customers,” said Nathan Brownell, CenterPoint's Vice President of Resilience and Capital Delivery. “Every pole we replace makes our system stronger and more equipped to withstand the next major storm, reducing impacts to customers, improving restoration times, and giving our customers the resilient, reliable service they expect and deserve.”

CenterPoint’s GHRI actions include installing new self-healing grid automation devices, trimming and clearing high-risk vegetation from distribution lines, and installing new distribution utility poles among other critical actions. The 50,000 new poles are part of CenterPoint’s overall GHRI plan to replace or brace a total of 130,000 poles across the greater Houston area, strengthening the system to better withstand extreme weather events for decades to come. Customers are already feeling the positive impact of this work, with outages caused by vegetation reduced in duration by 50% since 2024 across CenterPoint’s 12-county Greater Houston area service territory.

GHRI: Historic progress to date
Since launching GHRI in August 2024 to improve overall resiliency for its 2.9 million customers across Greater Houston, CenterPoint has made wide-ranging infrastructure improvements that have delivered a series of important customer benefits. As of November 2025, in addition to installing stronger, storm-resilient poles, CenterPoint has completed the following resiliency actions and improvements:

  • Vegetation management: Trimmed or removed 7,800+ miles of high-risk vegetation near power lines to reduce storm-related outages.
  • Undergrounding power lines: Undergrounded 430+ miles of power lines to improve overall resiliency.
  • New Outage Tracker: Launched a new cloud-based Outage Tracker, available in English and Spanish, designed to accommodate increased traffic during major storms and extreme weather events.
  • Weather monitoring stations: Installed 100 new weather monitoring stations to enhance situational awareness and storm preparation.

GHRI: Strengthening long-term resiliency
In addition to the GHRI progress made to date, CenterPoint’s longer-term resiliency plans are designed to prepare for a wide range of future extreme weather and achieve the following customer benefits and grid improvements by 2029:

  • Strengthening overall resiliency: Improving systemwide resiliency by 30% for all our customers.
  • Reducing outage impacts: Reducing extreme weather-related power outages by over 820 million minutes.
  • Preparing for future energy demand: Expanding the capacity of our system to meet rising energy demand and the annual population growth of our region, which is equivalent to adding a city the size of Waco, Texas, each year.
  • Reducing community costs: Saving customers and communities approximately $50 million per year in storm-related restoration and response costs.
  • Improving major storm resiliency: Preventing outages for more than 500,000 customers in the event of another Beryl-like storm.
  • Undergrounding key power lines: Moving 50% of the system underground to improve resiliency and safety year-round.
  • Vegetation management: Deploying an industry-leading, three-year vegetation management cycle, with 100% of power lines inspected and cleared of hazardous vegetation every three years.
  • Stronger transmission towers: Rebuilding or upgrading 2,200+ transmission structures to better withstand extreme weather, while improving overall reliability.

Customers can learn more about the Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative 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 more than 7 million metered customers in Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Texas. As of September 30, 2025, the company owned approximately $45 billion in assets. With approximately 8,300 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com.​

 Recent News

 

 
CenterPoint Energy Activates Emergency Operations Center to Prepare for Potential Impacts from Tropical Depression 2 as Early as Thursday

National Hurricane Center forecasts Tropical Depression 2 to potentially bring impacts to the southeast Texas coast later this week and weekend

Actions CenterPoint Energy is taking to prepare include monitoring weather conditions 24/7, inspecting power lines, clearing high-risk vegetation, and coordinating with emergency partners.

Customers urged to sign up for Power Alert Service® to get latest updates about their service, activate safety plans, and prepare now for heavy precipitation and high winds.​

​HOUSTON — July 20, 2026 — Today, CenterPoint Energy activated its Emergency Operations Center and is taking a series of actions to prepare for potential impacts of Tropical Depression 2, which is forecast to potentially bring impacts to the southeast Texas coast later this week and weekend. As of 12:00 p.m. today, Tropical Depression 2 is expected to bring winds of 30-40 mph and isolated locally heavy rainfall primarily along the coast.

With the storm approaching, CenterPoint is urging all customers to enroll in Power Alert Service® to receive important updates about their gas and electric service via text, email or phone calls, including outage details and estimated restoration times. 

“Our CenterPoint Energy team is taking action and we are prepared to respond to potential impacts to our system from Tropical Depression 2. We have activated our Emergency Operations Center as we continue closely monitoring active weather along the Gulf Coast. With the storm forecast to reach Greater Houston by Friday, if any weather-related outages occur, our crews will be ready to respond and restore power safely and as quickly as possible. We urge customers to stay aware of evolving weather conditions and have a plan to stay safe," said Nathan Brownell, CenterPoint's Vice President, Resilience and Capital Delivery and Incident Commander.

CenterPoint's Emergency Preparedness Actions

To support its Greater Houston customers and communities, CenterPoint continues taking the following actions to prepare for Tropical Depression 2:

  • Activating Emergency Operations Center: Preparing for potential storm impacts and coordinating local preparedness efforts. 
  • Inspecting and testing critical electrical equipment: Inspecting power lines and electric substations across the Greater Houston area and conducting repairs as needed.
  • Trimming and removing high-risk vegetation: Deploying crews and contract personnel to inspect and clear hazardous vegetation from power lines to prepare for potential high winds and precipitation.
  • ​ Keeping customers informed: Providing information directly to customers via email, phone, text or other channels to keep them informed and prepared.  
  • ​ 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 to make them aware of the potential for storm-related outages.
  • Coordinating with government officials: Providing regular updates to federal, state, county and city officials regarding preparedness activities.
  • Providing operational updates for customers and communities: Sharing important information updates about CenterPoint's preparation activities and readiness posture daily.

Emergency Communications: Sign Up for Power Alert Service®

In preparation for Tropical Depression 2, CenterPoint is encouraging its customers to enroll in Power Alert Service® to receive outage details, estimated restoration times and customer-specific restoration updates via phone call, text or email. As part of CenterPoint's overall emergency communications efforts, customers can stay up to date on local outages with CenterPoint's cloud-based Outage Tracker, available in English and Spanish, which allows customers to see outages and restoration times by county, city and zip code.

Emergency Preparations: What Customers Can Do to Stay Safe

To help ensure their safety, CenterPoint is encouraging all its customers and their families to prepare in advance for extreme weather by having a safety plan ready, especially those who rely on electricity for life-sustaining equipment or medical needs. Customers can find specific safety tips to help them prepare at CenterPointEnergy.com/ActionCenter or at Ready.gov.

For the latest updates, follow CenterPoint on social media and visit CenterPointEnergy.com/ActionCenter.

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.

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CenterPoint Energy Closely Monitoring Tropical Depression 2 and Taking Actions to Prepare Ahead of Potential Impacts across Greater Houston

​​To help keep its customers and communities safe, CenterPoint is actively monitoring evolving weather conditions and National Hurricane Center forecasts, taking action by deploying its hurricane/summer storm readiness plans, and coordinating with local officials

Customers urged to sign up for Power Alert Service® to get latest updates about their service, activate safety plans and prepare now for heavy precipitation and high winds which could impact parts of the Greater Houston area as soon as Thursday or Friday.​

HOUSTON — July 19, 2026 — To support its customers and communities, CenterPoint Energy is taking precautionary safety actions including closely monitoring weather conditions and deploying its hurricane/summer storm readiness plans to prepare for Tropical Depression 2. As of 12:00 PM today, the National Hurricane Center upgraded the weather disturbance to a Tropical Depression and expects further upgrades to potentially a Tropical Storm by Monday or Tuesday, with impacts to the Greater Houston area as soon as Thursday. With the storm approaching, CenterPoint urges all customers to register to receive important service-related updates via text, email, or phone call through Power Alert Service®.

“Our teams have been monitoring this weather system for several days and we are taking actions to support our customers ahead of the forecasted Tropical Depression impacts, including continuing to monitor conditions, deploying our readiness plans to be prepared to restore power safely and as quickly as possible. We encourage all customers across the Greater Houston area to prepare and stay safe in anticipation of quickly changing weather conditions," said Nathan Brownell, CenterPoint's Vice President, Resilience and Capital Delivery and Incident Commander.

CenterPoint's Key Preparedness Actions
In preparation for the forecasted Tropical system, CenterPoint has taken a series of safety and readiness actions, including:

  • Actively monitoring weather: Closely monitoring National Hurricane Center forecasts and evolving weather conditions that could impact Texas.
  • Deploying hurricane/summer storm readiness plans: reviewing personnel and equipment needs based on potential storm impacts.
  • Inspecting and testing critical electrical equipment: Inspecting power lines and electric substations across the Greater Houston area and conducting repairs as needed.
  • Trimming and removing high-risk vegetation: Deploying crews and contract personnel to inspect and clear hazardous vegetation from power lines to prepare for potential high winds and precipitation.
  • Coordinating with government officials: Providing regular updates to federal, state, county and city officials regarding preparedness activities.
  • Communicating proactively with customers: Providing safety and preparedness information directly with customers via email, phone, and text, across social media platforms and other channels to keep customers informed and prepared.

 
If the risk of landfall increases, CenterPoint will activate its Emergency Operations Center and stage additional frontline workers and mutual aid personnel in strategic locations to be ready to restore service to impacted customers safely and as quickly as possible.
 
Emergency Communications: Sign Up for Power Alert Service®
To help prepare for the impact of Tropical Depression 2, CenterPoint is encouraging its customers to enroll in Power Alert Service® to receive outage details, estimated restoration times and customer-specific restoration updates via phone call, text, or email. As part of CenterPoint's overall emergency communications efforts, customers can stay up to date on local outages with CenterPoint's cloud-based Outage Tracker, available in English and Spanish, which allows customers to see outages and restoration times by county, city, and ZIP code.
 
Emergency Preparations: What Customers Can Do to Stay Safe
CenterPoint urges the public to put their safety first and prepare in advance for extreme weather, including hurricanes, by having a safety plan ready, especially for those who rely on electricity for life-sustaining equipment or medical needs. Customers can find safety tips to help them prepare at CenterPointEnergy.com/ActionCenter or at Ready.gov.

For the latest updates, follow CenterPoint on social media and visit CenterPointEnergy.com/ActionCenter.

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 Foundation awards $350,000 in energy efficiency grants to southwestern Indiana nonprofits to help reduce costs

Fourteen local grant recipients include the Tri-State Food Bank, Vanderburgh County CASA and the Vanderburgh County Humane Society, among others 

Grants are part of CenterPoint Energy Foundation's $5 million Community Energy Improvement Fund, which to date has provided $2.5 million in funding to CenterPoint Hoosier customers

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – July 16, 2026 – Today, the CenterPoint Energy Foundation awarded $350,000 in matching grants to 14 local nonprofit organizations across southwestern Indiana to support energy efficiency improvements at their facilities. The matching grants announced today are part of a series of Community Affordability Actions CenterPoint launched last year to support its southwestern Indiana customers, including the CenterPoint Energy Foundation's $5 million Community Energy Improvement Fund, which to date has provided $2.5 million in funding to CenterPoint Energy's residential, small business, local retail and restaurant and nonprofit customers.

"All of us at CenterPoint are committed to prioritizing affordability and supporting the local nonprofits at the heart of our communities. These grants will help empower these nonprofit organizations, to make upgrades that reduce expenses, improve operational efficiency and increase their ability to deliver critical services to our communities," said Mike Roeder, President of CenterPoint Energy Indiana.

In addition to the matching grant funds, CenterPoint Energy will provide each grantee with a facility assessment and a 10-year energy efficiency improvement roadmap, expert guidance and educational webinars to help staff manage energy use over time and further reduce costs for the organizations. By reducing energy usage and lowering operating costs, these improvements will help local organizations dedicate more resources to serving the communities that rely on them. The grants reflect CenterPoint's continued commitment to prioritizing affordability for the Hoosier customers it serves.

Supporting Southwestern Indiana Nonprofits
The nonprofit grantees – each awarded up to $25,000 in matching grants for critical facility improvements, such as HVAC replacements, lighting upgrades and building efficiency enhancements – include:

  • Ark Crisis Children's Center
  • Community Action Program of Evansville
  • Encountering Hope Ministries, Inc. (Hope Central)
  • Evansville Christian Life Center
  • Holly's House, Inc.
  • Joshua Academy Charter School
  • Lampion Center
  • Potters Wheel Inc.
  • Reitz Home Preservation Society, Inc.
  • The Salvation Army of Evansville
  • The Way of Rockport Indiana, Inc.
  • Tri-State Food Bank, Inc.
  • Vanderburgh County CASA, Inc.
  • Vanderburgh County Humane Society, Inc.

“As a nonprofit, reducing energy costs allows us to redirect resources to our family services rather than building operations. Every dollar saved is a dollar that can be reinvested into supporting children and families and expanding our capacity to make a positive difference in the community," said Sarah Reis, Executive Director of Vanderburgh County CASA. 

CenterPoint Energy Announces “Emergency Preparedness Week”

Week-long awareness effort to highlight emergency resources, tools and safety tips to help customers be ready throughout hurricane season

Customers will be encouraged to enroll in Power Alert Service® to stay informed during severe weather and emergency events

​

HOUSTON – July 14, 2026 – CenterPoint Energy today announced the launch of “Emergency Preparedness Week" to help raise customers' awareness of an array of vital emergency resources, storm safety tips and enhanced communication tools. As part of the week-long effort, which will include a social media campaign and direct outreach to customers, CenterPoint will also be encouraging its 2.9 million customers across the Greater Houston area to update their emergency plans, enroll in Power Alert Service® (PAS) to receive timely alerts about extreme weather, outages and restoration efforts, and visit the company's Action Center website to learn about other ways to be ready for emergencies.

“Extreme weather, hurricanes and emergency events can happen at any time, and we want all our customers and their families to be better prepared. Whether it is updating their emergency plan, enrolling in PAS or taking other safety steps, we all must work together to be ready before storms strike," said Raja Subramanian, Vice President and Chief Customer Officer.

Emergency Preparedness Week: Actions to Be Highlighted
During Emergency Preparedness Week, CenterPoint will be highlighting an array of tools, resources and tips available to help customers be prepared before the next emergency strikes, including:

  • Signing up for Power Alert Service: Enroll to receive free alerts by phone call, text or email about outages, restoration and storm response efforts. Customers can also add up to 15 family and friends to receive alerts for the customers' address.
  • Using CenterPoint's Outage Tracker: View the most up-to-date outage and restoration information by address and report outages.
  • Exploring Emergency Partner Resources: Find additional support through the United Way 211 Helpline, which connects customers with the help they need through a comprehensive database of social services, and the State of Texas Emergency Assistance Registry (STEAR) program, a free registry to let local emergency responders know if you or a loved one require extra assistance in an emergency.
  • Preparing an Emergency Plan and Supply Kit: Create an emergency safety plan and prepare a week's worth of supplies for your home, including bottled water, non-perishable food, a first aid kit and extra batteries.
  • Avoiding Downed Lines: Stay at least 35 feet away from downed power lines and always assume they are still energized.
  • Reporting Gas Leaks: If you smell gas, leave the area immediately on foot, and call CenterPoint at 713-659-2111.

For more information and emergency preparedness tips and resources, follow CenterPoint Energy on social media and visit CenterPointEnergy.com/ActionCenter.

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 Indiana Highlights Ongoing Commitment to Customer Affordability in Open Letter to Customers and Stakeholders

​Open letter outlines series of affordability actions, including commitment to keeping rates stable for two years, $5 million Community Energy Improvement Fund, bill adjustments and other critical steps 

Company stresses importance of prioritizing customer affordability, investing in resiliency and economic growth vital to ensuring $250 million in future customer energy savings 

Evansville, Ind. – July 14, 2026 – Today, CenterPoint Energy Indiana released an open letter on its ongoing commitment to affordability addressed to customers and stakeholders, including state and local elected leaders, the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission, the Office of Utility Consumer Counselor, and other community stakeholders. In the open letter, CenterPoint outlined the series of affordability actions it has taken since last year, including: a commitment to keep rates stable through 2027, and a series of bill adjustments and credits to offset October 2025 rate increases. CenterPoint also outlined its public initiatives to raise awareness on programs, tips, and tools available to help customers save energy and money, as well hundreds of millions of dollars in future customer savings possible as additional capacity is added to the local grid.

“Energy affordability is very important to our customers and our CenterPoint Indiana team. We are committed to working alongside our state and local leaders, our regulator, and community stakeholders to continue to prioritize customer affordability and build on the actions we've already taken. Looking to the future, by working together and adding more capacity, we are excited by the real opportunity to save our customers hundreds of millions of dollars even as we build a more reliable and more resilient energy future for our Hoosier families," said Mike Roeder, President of CenterPoint Energy Indiana.

Action Taken: Prioritizing Customer Affordability
Since October 2025, CenterPoint Energy Indiana has taken a series of Community Affordability Actions, which include:

  • Two-year rate stability: Keeping rates stable through 2027, in part, by canceling nearly $1 billion in previously approved generation projects that had become non-economical, saving customers approximately $18 per month.
  • Offsetting October 2025 rate increase: Delivering a credit to residential customers by December 2025, through bill adjustments and credits, to offset rate changes that took effect in October 2025.
  • Voluntarily reduced company profits: Agreeing to lower its authorized return as part of the rate case approved by the IURC in February 2025.
  • Voluntarily eliminated profits on a retired power plant: Eliminating profits on an older, retired coal plant under recent state legislation, reducing customer cost impacts by approximately $5 per month since June 2023.
  • Fourteen years without a base rate case: Filing no formal base rate case requesting increases in electric base rates between 2009 and 2023.

Actions Taken: Bringing Support Directly to Southwestern Indiana Customers
CenterPoint has also launched a series of programs focused on reducing energy burdens and helping customers better manage their costs, including:

  • Customer Connect: Adding new in-person service options in downtown Evansville for customers to get account support, learn about and enroll in cost- and energy-saving programs, and pay their monthly bill.
  • Reduced Call Center Wait Times: Reducing call center wait times by 70% between May and June '26, resulting in wait times of less than one minute for CenterPoint Energy's Hoosier customers.
  • A $5 million Community Energy Improvement Fund: Supporting Hoosier customers through an array of weatherization, energy efficiency and community development projects.
  • The Home Repair & Care Program: Assisting eligible homeowners with energy-saving home improvements. To date, 80-plus households have received energy efficiency enhancements.
  • Optimize for Local: Providing up to $25,000 in matching grants to nine locally owned restaurants and retailers to help make energy efficiency improvements.
  • Optimize for Good: Helping 14 southwestern Indiana nonprofits save energy and costs through matching grants of up to $25,000 to make critical facilities improvements, enabling the organizations to dedicate more resources to serving the communities that rely on them.
  • No-Cost Smart Thermostats and Bill Credits: Expanding energy-efficiency offerings that include no-cost smart thermostats for eligible customers and a one-time bill credit of $75 for signing up for the Smart Cycle program and annual bill credits of up to $67.50 while enrolled.

Working Together: A Commitment to Continued Collaboration
In the letter to Indiana energy stakeholders, CenterPoint outlined the actions it continues taking to prioritize affordability now and in the future, including:

  • Maintaining its two-year rate stability commitment.
  • Supporting local economic development that will create thousands of new jobs, and lower energy costs and taxes for Hoosiers, while increasing funding for public services like schools and roads.
  • Expanding further its community assistance and energy-efficiency programs, including the Community Energy Improvement Fund initiatives.
  • Exploring additional affordability measures and bill assistance options, including a proactive rate design review in consultation with IURC staff and stakeholders.
  • Participating actively in affordability discussions and workshops at the local and state level.
  • Providing transparent updates on the outcomes of affordability and reliability investments.