CNP Winter Storm Update: CenterPoint releases more than 500 contract frontline electric workers to support restoration efforts in other hard-hit areas of the country; more than 99 percent of customers maintained power through overnight winter weather
CNP Winter Storm Update: CenterPoint releases more than 500 contract frontline electric workers to support restoration efforts in other hard-hit areas of the country; more than 99 percent of customers maintained power through overnight winter weather
2026-01-25T06:00:00Z

​Download photos and videos of CenterPoint's winter weather response efforts here 

Overall system operated as designed with few customer outages, with less than 1% impacted

2,800 workers remain fully mobilized as crews restore impacted customers safely and as quickly as possible

Approximately 1,000 electric customers currently impacted; Less than 30,000 customers already restored since Saturday 6 a.m.

Company maintains readiness ahead of hard freezes overnight tonight and Monday

HOUSTON, Jan. 25, 2026 - As of 4 p.m. today, CenterPoint Energy has determined the company has the resources necessary to continue supporting its severe weather response efforts in the Greater Houston area. The company has released more than 500 contractors from 9 states to support response efforts in states more heavily impacted by yesterday evening's winter weather system and will continue collaborating on meeting additional needs from other utilities through mutual aid.

CenterPoint Energy logo. (PRNewsFoto)  

 

CenterPoint Energy continues to actively deploy crews across the Greater Houston area to assess damage to electric and natural gas equipment and restore customers impacted by yesterday evening's severe winter weather. Overnight conditions including high winds, wintry precipitation, some ice accumulation and freezing temperatures impacted the electric system. As of 4 p.m., approximately 2,000 customers are experiencing weather-related outages, which represents less than 1% of the 2.9 million customers that CenterPoint serves across 12 counties. Since Saturday at 6 a.m., less than 30,000 customers have already been restored.

"We know how important it is for our customers to have electric service to power their daily lives, especially during cold weather and freezing conditions like we've seen this weekend. Our system continues to perform well, but tonight and tomorrow are forecasted to be hard freezes hovering around 20 degrees, which may impact our equipment in some places. We are currently responding to any outages safely and as quickly as we can, and we will continue to monitor our system diligently as winter weather conditions are exiting our service area. We want to thank our dedicated crews for braving this weather and supporting our community through this event, and we want to thank our customers for their continued patience," said Nathan Brownell, CenterPoint VP of Resilience and Capital Delivery.

CenterPoint will conduct its last daily operations briefing for this event today at 4:30 p.m.

Safety reminder: Wires down 
The company reminds customers and community members to always assume downed lines or wires are energized and potentially dangerous if contacted. Stay at least 35 feet away from downed power lines or fallen wires and a similar safe distance from objects touching downed lines (tree limbs, vehicles, fences, etc.) and immediately report downed power lines to CenterPoint. 

Actions CenterPoint is taking to respond
CenterPoint activated its Emergency Operations Center on January 21 and has been actively preparing for the impacts caused by winter storm, including:

  • Deploying restoration electric workforce: Continuing to deploy its 2,800-person workforce to support winter storm response efforts and address potential equipment damage and outages;
  • Releasing 500 contract crews to support restoration efforts for utilities in hard-hit areas;
  • Staging more than 700 frontline natural gas workers to respond safely and quickly around the clock to any gas emergency calls and service interruptions;
  • Keeping customers informed: Sharing safety and preparedness information and resources with CenterPoint customers through direct outreach, social media and other channels;
  • Inspecting and testing critical electric equipment, including all 270 electric substations, executing enhanced tree trimming and conducting inspections to prepare for wintry precipitation and cold temperatures;
  • Conducting outreach to Critical Care customers: Reaching out to identified Critical Care Residential and Chronic Condition Residential electric customers by email, phone or text.
  • Coordinating with government officials: Providing regular updates to government officials on preparation activities and closely coordinating on customer support.
  • Providing operational updates for media and public: Conducting daily press briefings to provide important updates related to its pre-storm activities and readiness posture; additional briefings may be held to provide operational updates on response and restoration efforts following the storm.

These emergency preparedness actions build on the winter readiness activities that CenterPoint has conducted since the fall of 2025, including annual weatherization requirements from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas and Railroad Commission of Texas to prepare for winter storms. These actions include:

  • Donated and installed more than 20 emergency backup generators at key locations across Greater Houston to improve local emergency preparedness and response efforts;
  • Positioning 17 compressed natural gas (CNG) trailers to provide additional supply for our customers, if needed, adding an additional trailer today to help strengthen preparedness;
  • Inspecting nearly 200 natural gas regulator stations and installing heaters on equipment to prevent ice damage; and
  • Conducted more than 19,000 total hours of emergency training in 2025 for hundreds of operational, emergency response and other personnel and contractors to strengthen severe weather preparation and response efforts.

Stay informed with Power Alert Service®
CenterPoint electric customers are encouraged 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.

Track what's happening in your neighborhood on Outage Tracker
Customers can also stay up to date on outages with CenterPoint's Outage Tracker, available in English and Spanish. The Outage Tracker is built to handle increased traffic during storms, is mobile-friendly, accessible for those with disabilities and allows customers to see outages by county, city and zip code.

Customers can get storm-related electric and natural gas safety tips and the latest information at 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 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.

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

SOURCE CenterPoint Energy

 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: