CenterPoint Energy Reports 2025 Progress on Greater Houston Grid Resiliency Efforts

CenterPoint Energy reported progress in 2025 toward improving reliability and resiliency for its 2.9 million customers in the Greater Houston area as part of its efforts to strengthen the coastal electric grid. Through its multi-phase Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative (GHRI), the company implemented a range of infrastructure upgrades and operational actions intended to enhance system performance. According to CenterPoint, these efforts resulted in a reduction of more than 100 million customer outage minutes in 2025 compared to 2024.

Launched in August 2024, GHRI includes systemwide upgrades such as the installation of more storm-resilient poles, expanded vegetation management, targeted undergrounding of power lines, and other resiliency measures. The initiative is designed to address the impacts of severe weather while also improving restoration processes and emergency preparedness.

“While the hard work to improve reliability and resiliency for all our customers continues at a significant pace, real and historic progress was made in 2025 across the Greater Houston area. The series of actions taken by our 2,800-strong local workforce is delivering results, reducing the impact of outages and enabling us to restore power faster when outages occur. Looking ahead to 2026, all of our teams remain committed to building the most resilient coastal grid in the country and providing the energy future that our neighbors, friends and customers all across Houston expect and deserve,” said Jason Wells, CenterPoint Energy President and CEO.

2025 GHRI progress: Customer reliability outcomes

CenterPoint reported the following reliability-related outcomes for customers in the Greater Houston area in 2025 as a result of GHRI-related investments:

• Reduced outage minutes: More than 100 million fewer customer outage minutes; and

• Fewer vegetation-related outages: A 50% reduction in customer outage minutes associated with trees and vegetation.

2025 GHRI progress: Resiliency and preparedness measures

During 2025, CenterPoint completed several actions aimed at improving system resiliency and emergency preparedness, building on progress made in 2024. These actions included:

• Stronger distribution poles: Installation of more than 41,500 storm-resilient poles designed to withstand extreme winds;

• Hazardous vegetation removal: Clearance of more than 4,500 miles of high-risk vegetation near power lines;

• Strategic undergrounding: Undergrounding of more than 430 miles of power lines;

• Advanced weather monitoring: Installation of more than 100 weather stations to support storm preparation and situational awareness;

• Community Generator Donation Program: Donation and installation of more than 20 emergency backup generators at key locations across Greater Houston;

• Local emergency coordination: More than 14 meetings and exercises with local officials and emergency response partners, including a full-scale hurricane exercise prior to the 2025 hurricane season, along with 19,000 hours of emergency training; and

• Leveraging key technologies: Establishment of relationships with seven technology vendors and hosting of a Resiliency Technology Summit in June 2025 focused on tools and innovations related to operations, storm preparedness, and emergency response.

As 2026 begins, CenterPoint stated that it will continue implementing additional GHRI-related resiliency actions across the Greater Houston area. Planned efforts include prioritizing targeted and cost-effective improvements intended to deliver value to customers and communities while advancing the company’s goal of strengthening the coastal electric grid.