CenterPoint Energy announces $5B expanded resiliency plan

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CenterPoint has committed to "the largest investment in Greater Houston infrastructure in the company's nearly 160-year history." Photo via Getty Images

CenterPoint Energy disclosed that it's completed its core resiliency actions first phase of its Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative. The company also reports that it's outlined extra upcoming efforts.

Following the unprecedented outages of Hurricane Beryl, CenterPoint outlined its GHRI in August. As of last week, the first phase, which included more than 40 critical actions in total to strengthen the electric grid, has been completed ahead of schedule.

The company also announced a second phase of GHRI and approximately $5 billion in resiliency investment from 2026 to 2028, a figure that's around twice as much as initially promised.

"We have heard the call to action from our customers and elected officials, and we are responding with bold actions," says Jason Wells, CenterPoint president and CEO, in a statement. "Our defining goal, going forward, is this: to build the most resilient coastal grid in the country that can better withstand the extreme weather of the future. To achieve this ambition, we will undertake a historic level of resiliency actions and investment, because this is what the people of the Greater Houston area expect and deserve."

According to CenterPoint, the second phase will include system hardening, strategic undergrounding, self-healing grid technology, and further enhancements to the company's outage tracker.

CenterPoint outlined its recently completed efforts, including installing over 300 automation devices and more than 1,000 stronger poles, as well as removing hazardous vegetation from more than 2,000 miles of power lines. Next up, CenterPoint says it's near-term actions will include further grid strengthening, public communication improvements, and enhancements to local, community, and emergency partnerships. The details of this phase, which will take place between September 1 to June 1, will be released by September 30.

In the company's longer-term action plan, CenterPoint commits to $5 billion in upgrades from 2026 to 2028 — "the largest investment in Greater Houston infrastructure in the company's nearly 160-year history."

"The mission of this longer-term plan of action is to build the most resilient coastal grid in the country by investing in a smarter grid of the future that can better withstand a broad spectrum of risks," reads the statement. "The proposal, and the entire scope of these actions will be outlined in a new system resiliency plan that is expected to be filed with the Public Utility Commission of Texas on or before January 31, 2025."

CenterPoint reports that lawmakers have received this information directly, and that the plan will be shaped by feedback from its customers, experts, and stakeholders, including elected officials and local agencies.

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Texas launches new investigation into Houston's power utility following deadly outages after Beryl

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Texas' attorney general launched an investigation Monday into Houston's electric utility over allegations of fraud and waste following Hurricane Beryl, adding to the mounting scrutiny after widespread power outages left millions without electricity for days.

The latest investigation of CenterPoint Energy comes after state regulators and Republican Gov. Greg Abbott have also demanded answers about storm preparations and the response to Beryl, a Category 1 hurricane that knocked out power to nearly 3 million people around the nation’s fourth-largest city.

The storm was blamed for at least three dozen deaths, including those of some residents who died in homes that were left without air conditioning in sweltering heat after the storm's passage.

“My office is aware of concerning allegations regarding CenterPoint and how its conduct affected readiness during Hurricane Beryl,” Ken Paxton, the state's Republican attorney general, said in a statement. “If the investigation uncovers unlawful activity, that activity will be met with the full force of the law.”

The utility pledged its support of the investigation.

“We look forward to cooperating with the Texas Attorney General or any other agency and have made clear our commitment to upholding the values of our company,” CenterPoint spokesperson John Sousa said.

Paxton did not cite any specific allegations of waste or fraud in his announcement and his office did not respond to requests for comment.

Abbott has demanded answers from CenterPoint for what he called its slow restoration efforts and poor communication with customers in the days leading up to the storm. The state's Public Utility Commission has launched its own investigation, and lawmakers grilled the company’s top executive over its failures at a hearing last month.

CenterPoint has largely defended its storm preparedness and said that it deployed thousands of additional workers to help restore power. The utility provider has also begun a monthslong plan to replace hundreds of wooden utility poles and double its tree-trimming efforts after the governor pressed for swift action.

Beryl damaged power lines and uprooted trees when it made its Texas landfall on July 8. It’s the latest natural disaster to hit Houston after a powerful storm ripped through the area in May, leaving nearly 1 million people without power.

Many residents fear that chronic outages have become the norm after Texas’ power grid failed amid a deadly winter storm in 2021.

CenterPoint has previously faced questions over the reliability of Houston's power grid.

In 2008, Hurricane Ike, a Category 2 storm, knocked out power to more than 2 people million and it took 19 days to fully restore electricity. The city of Houston created a task force initiative to investigate the company's response and determined it needed to automate parts of its grid to minimize outages.

CenterPoint received millions of dollars in federal funding to implement this technology years ago. However, according to executive vice president Jason Ryan, it's still a work in progress.

Some utility experts and critics say the company hasn’t adapted its technology fast enough to meet the extreme weather conditions Texas will continue to face.

Ali Mostafavi, founder of Resilitix.AI, joins the Houston Innovators Podcast to discuss how he pivoted to provide important data amid Hurricane Beryl. Photo via tamu.edu

Why this entrepreneur believes Houston should lead resilience technology alongside the energy transition

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When it comes to developing resilience technology, Houston startup founder Ali Mostafavi knows he's in the right place.

Mostafavi, a civil and environmental engineering professor at Texas A&M University, co-founded Resilitix.AI two years ago, and with the help of his lab at A&M, has created a platform that brings publicly available data into AI algorithms to provide its partners near-real time information in storm settings.

"We are very excited that our company is Houston based," he says on the Houston Innovators Podcast. "We should not be just ground zero of disasters. We have to also be ground zero for solutions as well. I believe Houston should be the hub for resilience tech innovation as it is for energy transition.

"I think energy transition, climatetech, energy tech, and disaster tech go hand in hand," Mostafavi continues. "I feel that we are in the right place."

Earlier this month, Mostafavi got an unexpected chance to pilot his company's data-backed and artificial intelligence-powered platform — all while weathering one of Houston's most impactful storms.

As Hurricane Beryl came ashore with Houston on its path, Mostafavi says he had the opportunity to both test his technology and provide valuable information to his community during the storm.

"We were in the process of fine tuning some of our methods and algorithms behind our technology," Mostafavi says. "When disasters happen, you go to activation mode. We put our technology development and R&D efforts on hold and try to test our technology in an operational setting."

The platform provides its partners — right now, those include local and state organizations and emergency response teams — information on evacuation reports, street flooding, and even damage sustained based on satellite imagery. Mostafavi says that during Beryl, users were wondering how citizens were faring amid rising temperatures and power outages. The Resilitix team quickly pivoted to apply algorithms to hospital data to see which neighborhoods were experiencing high volumes of patients.

"We had the ability to innovate on the spot," Mostafavi says, adding that his own lack of power and internet was an additional challenge for the company. "When an event happens, we start receiving requests and questions. ... We had to be agile and adapt our methods to be responsive. Then at the same time, because we haven't tested it, we have to verify that we are confident (in the information we provide)."

On the episode, Mostafavi shares how Hurricane Harvey — which occurred shortly after Mostafavi moved to Houston — inspired the foundation of Resilitix, and he also explains how he plans to grow and scale the business.

———

This article originally ran on InnovationMap.

Power finally was restored to most by last week, after over a week of widespread outages. Photo via Getty Images

Heat-related Texas deaths climb after Beryl left millions without power for days or longer

ripple effects

As the temperature soared in the Houston-area home Janet Jarrett shared with her sister after losing electricity in Hurricane Beryl, she did everything she could to keep her 64-year-old sibling cool.

But on their fourth day without power, she awoke to hear Pamela Jarrett, who used a wheelchair and relied on a feeding tube, gasping for breath. Paramedics were called but she was pronounced dead at the hospital, with the medical examiner saying her death was caused by the heat.

“It’s so hard to know that she’s gone right now because this wasn’t supposed to happen to her,” Janet Jarrett said.

Almost two weeks after Beryl hit, heat-related deaths during the prolonged power outages have pushed the number of storm-related fatalities to at least 23 in Texas.

The combination of searing summer heat and residents unable to power up air conditioning in the days after the Category 1 storm made landfall on July 8 resulted in increasingly dangerous conditions for some in America’s fourth-largest city.

Beryl knocked out electricity to nearly 3 million homes and businesses at the height of the outages, which lasted days or much longer, and hospitals reported a spike in heat-related illnesses.

Power finally was restored to most by last week, after over a week of widespread outages. The slow pace in the Houston area put the region's electric provider, CenterPoint Energy, under mounting scrutiny over whether it was sufficiently prepared.

While it may be weeks or even years before the full human toll of the storm in Texas is known, understanding that number helps plan for the future, experts say.

What is known about the deaths so far?

Just after the storm hit, bringing high winds and flooding, the deaths included people killed by falling trees and people who drowned when their vehicles became submerged in floodwaters. In the days after the storm passed, deaths included people who fell while cutting limbs on damaged trees and heat-related deaths.

Half of the deaths attributed to the storm in Harris County, where Houston is located, were heat related, according to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.

Jarrett, who has cared for her sister since she was injured in an attack six years ago, said her “sassy” sister had done everything from owning a vintage shop in Harlem, New York, to working as an artist.

“She had a big personality,” Jarrett said, adding that her sister had been in good health before they lost electricity at their Spring home.

When will a complete death toll be known?

With power outages and cleanup efforts still ongoing, the death toll likely will continue to climb.

Officials are still working to determine if some deaths that have already occurred should be considered storm related. But even when those numbers come in, getting a clear picture of the storm's toll could take much more time.

Lara Anton, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of State Health Services, which uses death certificate data to identify storm-related deaths, estimated that it may not be until the end of July before they have even a preliminary count.

In the state's vital statistics system, there is a prompt to indicate if the death was storm related and medical certifiers are asked to send additional information on how the death was related to the storm, Anton said.

Experts say that while a count of storm-related fatalities compiled from death certificates is useful, an analysis of excess deaths that occurred during and after the storm can give a more complete picture of the toll. For that, researchers compare the number of people who died in that period to how many would have been expected to die under normal conditions.

The excess death analysis helps count deaths that might have been overlooked, said Dr. Lynn Goldman, dean of the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University.

What do different toll numbers tell us?

Both the approach of counting the death certificates and calculating the excess deaths have their own benefits when it comes to storms, said Gregory Wellenius, director of the Boston University School of Public Health's Center for Climate and Health.

The excess death analysis gives a better estimate of the total number of people killed, so it's useful for public health and emergency management planning in addition to assessing the impact of climate change, he said.

But it “doesn't tell you who," he said, and understanding the individual circumstances of storm deaths is important in helping to show what puts individual people at risk.

“If I just tell you 200 people died, it doesn't tell you that story of what went wrong for these people, which teaches us something about what hopefully can we do better to prepare or help people prepare in the future,” Wellenius said. ___

The repair crews working on getting the lights back on are facing unhappy residents. Photo via Getty Images

Houston crews deal with disgruntled residents over power outages after Beryl

Houston, we have a problem

Drawn guns. Thrown rocks. Threatening messages. Houston’s prolonged outages following Hurricane Beryl has some fed-up and frustrated residents taking out their anger on repair workers who are trying to restore power across the city.

The threats and confrontations have prompted police escorts, charges in at least two cases, and pleas from authorities and local officials to leave the linemen alone so they can work.

Beryl knocked out power to nearly 3 million people in Texas — with most of those in the Houston area — after making landfall July 8. The Category 1 storm unleashed heavy rain and winds that uprooted trees and damaged homes and businesses along the Texas Coast and parts of Southeast Texas. State authorities have reported 18 deaths from Beryl. In the Houston area, some have been due to heat exposure following the loss of power, according to the medical examiner’s office in Harris County.

As of Tuesday, crews were still working to restore power to some residents.

“Linemen are our friends and are doing their job. Do not threaten them. I understand you’re angry and mad and frustrated, but let’s get through this together,” Mayor John Whitmire said during a news conference on Monday.

Houston police have investigated at least five cases involving threats made to workers and other employees, whether in person or online.

In one of these cases, police arrested Anthony Leonard, 38, charging him with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Authorities allege Leonard on Saturday threw rocks and pointed a gun at a group of CenterPoint Energy workers who were at a staging area.

Leonard remained jailed Tuesday. His attorney did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

CenterPoint CEO Jason Wells said over 100 line workers had to be evacuated from the staging area on Saturday. He said such threats are counterproductive as crews have to be moved to safer areas, delaying their work.

“So many of our fellow Houstonians have addressed this situation with patience and grace. And I want to thank them. But unfortunately, there have been instances where either acts of violence have been threatened or actually committed against our crews that are working this vital restoration. This is unacceptable. The safety of our crews is paramount,” Wells said.

KPRC reported that a charge of making a terroristic threat has been filed against a woman from the Houston suburb of Baytown. The Texas Department of Public Safety alleges the woman made multiple online threats of murder, assault and deadly conduct against employees, including Wells, at CenterPoint’s headquarters in downtown Houston. The woman has not been arrested.

Chief Deputy Mike Lee with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said his agency has investigated a break-in of a CenterPoint vehicle and three cases where residents refused to let linemen enter their properties.

Ed Allen, business manager for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union No. 66, which represents workers at CenterPoint, said in 42 years in this industry, he’s never seen a response like this where workers are being threatened.

Allen said he spoke to one crew that said while they were working in a suburban Houston neighborhood, several men stood across the street from them and held an assault type rifle in a menacing way.

“It is very disheartening to see the community that I’ve worked in and that I’ve dedicated my life to provide electricity to act the way they have during this event,” Allen said.

Crews on Tuesday told Allen they haven’t received any new threats.

“I hope it’s gotten better out there. Part of that I think has a lot to do with the fact that regardless of what anybody thinks, the restoration effort has gone really well,” Allen said.

As of late Tuesday afternoon, CenterPoint reported that less than 82,000 customers remained without power.

On Tuesday, Gov. Greg Abbott sent a letter to CenterPoint demanding information from the company, including what actions it will take to reduce or eliminate power outages during future storms and how it will improve communication with its customers before, during and after a weather event.

“Texans must be able to rely on their energy providers to keep the power flowing, even during hurricane season. It is your responsibility to properly prepare for these foreseen incidents and work tirelessly to restore power as quickly as possible when it is lost. Anything less is unacceptable,” Abbott wrote.

In a statement, CenterPoint said it's addressing Abbott's request and that its work with officials and community leaders to increase the resiliency of the electric grid is essential in "creating and sustaining an environment in Texas where people want to live and build their businesses.”

Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia said the threats to CenterPoint workers and out-of-town crews only makes “it harder and longer to get your lights back on.”

“These folks are just here trying to help. Let them do their work and help us and tomorrow will be a better day,” Garcia said.

Four energy companies are putting their money where their mouths are following Hurricane Beryl. Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images

4 Houston energy companies pledge financial support in wake of Hurricane Beryl

donation station

Four major energy companies in the Houston area have chipped in more than $400,000 to support relief efforts for Hurricane Beryl in Southeast Texas. Nationwide, it’s estimated that the storm caused at least $28 billion in damage and economic losses.

Here’s a breakdown of contributions announced by the four energy companies.

Baker Hughes Foundation

The Baker Hughes Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Houston-based energy technology company Baker Hughes, gave a $75,000 grant to the Houston chapter of the American Red Cross for Hurricane Beryl relief efforts.

“We understand recovery and rebuilding can take weeks or months, and we support the American Red Cross’ mission of providing people with clean water, safe shelter, and food when they need them most,” says Lorenzo Simonelli, chairman and CEO of Baker Hughes.

CenterPoint Energy

Houston-based CenterPoint Energy, which at one point had more than 2 million customers without power due to Hurricane Beryl, says its foundation has donated to several disaster relief organizations in the region. These include the American Red Cross of Coastal Bend, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, Combined Arms, and the 4B Disaster Response Network in Brazoria and Galveston counties.

As of July 11, the company had also provided:

More than 30,000 bottles of water to cooling centers and distribution centers in the Houston area.
Meals to local first responders.
Mobile power generation at cooling centers, hospitals, senior living centers, and water treatment plants.

CenterPoint didn’t assign a dollar value to its contributions.

“Our first priority is getting the lights back on. At the same time, we have seen firsthand the devastation our neighbors are facing, and our commitment to the community goes beyond restoration efforts,” says Lynnae Wilson, senior vice president of CenterPoint’s electric business.

ConocoPhillips

Houston-based ConocoPhillips contributed $200,000 to relief efforts for Hurricane Beryl. The company also is matching donations from U.S. employees of ConocoPhillips.

The money is being split among the Houston Food Bank, Salvation Army and American Red Cross.

“Houston is our hometown, and many of our employees and neighbors have been impacted by Hurricane Beryl,” says Ryan Lance, chairman and CEO of ConocoPhillip.

Entergy Texas

Entergy Texas, based in The Woodlands, donated $125,000 to the American Red Cross for Hurricane Beryl relief efforts. The money will go toward emergency needs such as food, shelter, and medical care.

“Our commitment to helping communities in distress remains unwavering, and we are hopeful that our contribution will offer relief and comfort to those facing hardships in the storm’s aftermath,” says Eliecer Viamontes, president and CEO of Entergy Texas.

Entergy Texas supplies electricity to about 512,000 customers in 27 counties. It’s a subsidiary of New Orleans-based Entergy Corp.

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New research center at Rice aims to work toward strict EPA standards for forever chemicals

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Rice University announced a new research center that will focus on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) called the Rice PFAS Alternatives and Remediation Center (R-PARC).

R-PARC promises to unite industry, policy experts, researchers, and entrepreneurs to “foster collaboration and accelerate the development of innovative solutions to several PFAS challenges,” according to a news release. Challenges include comprehensive PFAS characterization and risk assessment, water treatment infrastructure upgrades, contaminated site remediation, and the safe alternatives development.

“We firmly believe that Rice is exceptionally well-positioned to develop disruptive technologies and innovations to address the global challenges posed by PFAS,” Rice President Reginald DesRoches says in a news release. “We look forward to deepening our relationship with ERDC and working together to address these critical challenges.”

The Environmental Protection Agency issued its stringent standards for some of the most common PFAS, which set the maximum contaminant level at 4.0 parts per trillion for two of them. Pedro Alvarez, Rice’s George R. Brown Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, director of the WaTER Institute, likened this in a news release to “four drops in 1,000 Olympic pools,” and also advocated that the only way to meet these strict standards is through technological innovation.

The center will be housed under Rice’s Water Technologies Entrepreneurship and Research (WaTER) Institute that was launched in January 2024. The WaTER Institute has worked on advancements in clean water technology research and applications established during the decade-long tenure of the Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology Enabled Water Treatment, which was funded by the National Science Foundation.

“The challenge of PFAS cuts across several of the four major research trajectories that define Rice’s strategic vision,” Rice’s executive vice president for research and professor of materials science and nanoengineering and physics and astronomy Ramamoorthy Ramesh, adds in the release. “R-PARC will help focus and amplify ongoing work on PFAS remediation at Rice.”

The ERDC delegation was led by agency director David Pittman who also serves as the director of research and development and chief scientist for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. ERDC representatives also met with several Rice researchers that were involved in work related to the environment, and sustainability, and toured the labs and facilities.

Texas ride-hailing app grows Houston fleet with EV additions

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Your next Alto ride might be electric. The Dallas-based car service has rolled out electric vehicles in Houston.

Alto, founded in Dallas in 2018 and launched in Houston in 2020, elevates ridesharing with its own fleet of company-owned, clearly branded SUVs driven by its staff of drivers. The company previously announced its plans to evolve its fleet into being completely electric, and the first EVs have hit the road, according to a company email.

"Our EV additions to the Houston fleet mark an important moment in our commitment to significantly reduce Alto's environmental impact," reads the email sent on September 5.

The new cars offer similar features to its existing fleet, including legroom, phone chargers, water bottles for riders, and more. Plus, the new cars — Kia EV9 — boast a quieter ride.

Alto has consistently grown in its Texas markets — which include Houston and Dallas — over the years, including expanding into Houston's suburbs.

Will Coleman, CEO of Alto, previously wrote in a guest column for InnovationMap that his priorities for starting the company included safety — but also sustainability. For years, Alto has been expressing interest in introducing EVs, with plans of having a completely electric fleet.

"This EV vision is one example of how a rideshare company can build a better and more accountable industry, and these steps also give Houstonians a more responsible and sustainable transportation solution," Coleman writes.

CenterPoint's big resiliency plan, Houston energy co. acquired, and more top news from the week

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Editor'snote: From CenterPoint doubling down on resiliency to Ethos Energy being acquired, these are the top headlines that resonated with EnergyCapital readers on social media and daily newsletter this week.

CenterPoint Energy announces $5B expanded resiliency plan

CenterPoint has committed to "the largest investment in Greater Houston infrastructure in the company's nearly 160-year history." Photo via Getty Images

The company also announced a second phase of GHRI and approximately $5 billion in resiliency investment from 2026 to 2028, a figure that's around twice as much as initially promised. Continue reading.

Houston energy equipment service provider acquired by New York PE firm

One Equity Partners announced the acquisition of EthosEnergy, which focuses on rotating equipment services for power generation, energy, industrial, and aerospace and defense industry.

Houston-based energy equipment service provider EthosEnergy has been acquired by a New York private equity firm.

One Equity Partners announced the acquisition of EthosEnergy, which focuses on rotating equipment services for power generation, energy, industrial, and aerospace and defense industry. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. Continue reading.

Texas energy company partners with Ford for first-of-its-kind deal

Ford Motor Company and TXU Energy are partnering to create a first-of-its-kind retail energy offering for Ford electric SUV and truck customers in Texas via the TXU Free EV Miles program. Photo courtesy of Ford

Buckle up, Ford drivers and TXU Energy customers — you're going to want to speed toward this deal.

Ford Motor Company and TXU Energy are partnering to create a first-of-its-kind retail energy offering for Ford electric SUV and truck customers in Texas via the TXU Free EV Miles program.

The program offers Ford EV customers the opportunity to charge their vehicle at home for free during an 18-hour window. Enrollment for the “Free EV Miles program” is open to interested Ford and TXU Energy customers. Continue reading.

Roundup: Navigating Houston's two September climate-focused weeks

Houston is playing host to a ton of energy and climate-focused events next month. Photo courtesy of the Ion

Two separate weeks of climate and energy-focused weeks are organizing events and programming during the second week of September — here's what all to consider attending. Continue reading.

Texas lands largest portion of energy efficiency-focused federal grant program

The DOE funding will go toward the creation of a new Texas-based revolving loan fund that operationally matches the existing Texas LoanSTAR revolving loan program. Photo via Getty Images

Texas is among one of 17 states and territories to receive a portion of $66 million in awards for initiatives that pump federal dollars into their communities to support energy efficient projects.

The funds come from the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Capitalization Grant Program. The RLF Program awards are intended to be put toward state-based loans and grants that go towards local businesses homeowners, and public spaces for "for energy efficiency audits, upgrades, and retrofits to increase energy efficiency," according to the DOE. Continue reading.

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