Company has installed or replaced nearly 4,600 stronger storm-resilient poles; cleared more than 800 miles of higher-risk vegetation; undergrounded more than 100 miles of power lines; and installed dozens of new, intelligent grid switching devices

HOUSTON, Nov. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- CenterPoint Energy today released the first of its public progress updates on the actions being taken throughout the Greater Houston 12-county area as part of Phase Two of its Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative (GHRI). In the first two months of the program, and in preparation for the 2025 hurricane season, CenterPoint has installed nearly 4,600 storm-resilient poles designed to better withstand extreme winds; installed more than 100 miles of power lines underground to reduce the impact of extreme weather; cleared more than 800 miles of hazardous vegetation to improve reliability; and installed more self-healing automation devices to help improve overall restoration times. CenterPoint is taking all of these actions and enhancements as part of the company's goal of building the most resilient coastal grid in the nation."This summer, we accomplished a significant level of increased system hardening in the first phase of the Greater Houston Resilience Initiative. Since then, as we have been fully engaged in delivering the additional set of actions in our second phase of GHRI, we continue to make significant progress as we work toward our ultimate goal of becoming the most resilient coastal grid in the country. Now, and in the months to come, we will remain laser-focused on completing these critical resiliency actions and building the more reliable and more resilient energy system our customers expect and deserve," said Darin Carroll, CenterPoint Energy Senior Vice President of CenterPoint Energy's Electric Business.GHRI Phase Two: Progress UpdateCenterPoint announced on September 30 the launch of Phase Two of the GHRI, which included a series of actions to strengthen resiliency, enable a self-healing grid and reduce the duration and impact of power outages. Through early November, significant progress has been made across its service area, including:

Announcement follows completion of 350 more miles of newly hardened powerlines, on top of additional resiliency and hardening actions completed during Phase One of the Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative.

HOUSTON, Nov. 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- CenterPoint Energy today announced the completion of the last of its 42 critical initial actions and commitments it made to state leaders and customers in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl to immediately strengthen the electric system and improve its storm response. All 42 actions and commitments have been achieved ahead of schedule.  

Company plans to spread emergency Derecho response costs of approximately $450 million across 15 years; Customer bill impact expected to be about $1 per month Financial method expected to save customers more than $50 million in interest charges Derecho storm caused more than an estimated $5 billion in damages across the Greater Houston area unrelated to CenterPoint infrastructure

HOUSTON, Nov. 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its commitment to keeping customer bills more affordable, CenterPoint Energy today filed the first phase of a securitization plan (a lower cost way of financing recovery costs over a longer time period time) with the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) that would minimize the customer impact of the major May 2024 Derecho and late May storms, that resulted in approximately $450 million in repair, equipment and emergency response costs outside of CenterPoint's normal annual rates as set by the PUCT. Using this method of financing is expected to save customers more than $50 million in interest charges over the 15-year period. 

Company has completed Phase One of the Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative; continues to make progress on Phase Two of the Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative to be better prepared for 2025 hurricane season; and will file its multi-year system resiliency plan by January 2025Company has continued to communicate with intervening parties and plans to resume settlement talks immediately

HOUSTON, Nov. 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- CenterPoint Energy (CenterPoint) today announced its plans to proceed with settlement talks for its 2024 CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric (CEHE) rate case that the company had previously requested to withdraw on August 1, 2024. The CEHE 2024 rate case was first filed with Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) and municipal regulatory authorities on March 6, 2024.

Teams will remain on standby and ready to respond to any changes with enhanced staffing plans if needed Most CenterPoint teams will return to normal business operations status

HOUSTON, Nov. 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Based on Friday weather forecasts from the National Hurricane Center and third parties, it is expected that Hurricane Rafael's projected path will weaken and remain in the southern Gulf of Mexico over the weekend. According to current projections, there could be isolated rain and wind across parts of Texas and Louisiana. CenterPoint Energy teams will continue to diligently monitor weather forecasts over the weekend and personnel will remain on standby, ready to execute the company's emergency preparedness plans if needed.

Teams remain ready to respond with enhanced staffing plans and conducting pre-landfall emergency preparedness protocols Customer natural gas disconnections have been suspended in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi to focus resources on preparation efforts

HOUSTON, Nov. 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Following Rafael's rapid intensification into a Category 3 hurricane before striking Cuba on Wednesday, CenterPoint Energy continues to diligently monitor weather forecasts and remains ready to execute its emergency preparedness plans and potential restoration efforts following any landfall impacts in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.

Company continuing to urge electric and natural gas customers in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi to take proactive safety measuresTeams are instituting enhanced staffing plans and conducting pre-landfall emergency preparedness protocols ahead of the weather Customer natural gas disconnections have been suspended in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi to focus resources on preparation efforts

HOUSTON, Nov. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- CenterPoint Energy continues to closely monitor forecasts and prepare for potential impacts from Hurricane Rafael, which has intensified into a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph. The company continues to mobilize resources, conduct pre-landfall emergency preparedness protocols and implement enhanced staffing plans to support potential landfall impacts in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. CenterPoint has also identified more than 13,000 mutual assistance resources to support emergency response efforts and help restore service to impacted customers if needed over the coming days.

CenterPoint continuing to monitor the latest weather updates and forecasts to be ready to respond to the potential effects of Tropical Storm RafaelCompany continuing to communicate to electric and natural gas customers in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi and coordinate with emergency partnersMore than 2.25 million natural gas customers in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi have been urged to take proactive safety measures

HOUSTON, Nov. 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- With Tropical Storm Rafael continuing to organize today and grow stronger, CenterPoint Energy is diligently monitoring the weather and preparing for potential responses to impacts, which may occur in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. The company has been coordinating closely with emergency and agency partners, sharing safety information with customers and mobilizing resources across its service area in preparation for impacts and outages across its multi-state Gulf Coast service area.  

Company continues to take additional and enhanced actions to harden the grid as part of the Greater Houston Resiliency InitiativeCenterPoint encourages customers to remain vigilant and have a plan for extreme weather

HOUSTON, Nov. 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- While fall is in full swing in many parts of the United States, CenterPoint Energy has been monitoring tropical developments over the weekend and is activating its emergency response plans. It is also making early preparations for any potential tropical storm or hurricane threats for this coming weekend. Tropical Storm Rafael, as named by the National Hurricane Center, continues to slowly become better organized south of Jamaica in the south-central portion of the Caribbean Sea. Per the National Weather Service, it is expected to continue to gain strength and could become a hurricane by midweek.

Additional senior leadership team hire underscores the company's commitment to improving emergency preparation, management and coordination after Hurricane Beryl

HOUSTON, Oct. 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- CenterPoint Energy announced today the hiring of a new senior leader with tested industry experience in emergency management to transform its Emergency Preparedness and Response strategy. This enterprise leadership position underscores CenterPoint's commitment to improving its emergency response and coordination following Hurricane Beryl, and represents completing another of the more than 40 commitments CenterPoint made as part of the Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative (GHRI) in August.