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About CenterPoint Energy Inc.
CenterPoint Energy Inc. (NYSE: CNP) is a prominent energy delivery company headquartered in Houston, Texas. With over 150 years of operational history, the company is a trusted provider of electric transmission and distribution, natural gas distribution, and energy-related services. Serving more than 7 million metered customers across Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Ohio, and Texas, CenterPoint Energy plays a critical role in powering homes, businesses, and communities across the United States.
Core Business Operations
CenterPoint Energy’s business model is anchored in regulated utility operations, offering stable and predictable revenue streams. The company’s electric utility division focuses on the transmission and distribution of electricity to customers in key service areas, including Greater Houston, southern Indiana, and west-central Ohio. CenterPoint does not generate electricity but ensures the reliable transportation of power through its robust infrastructure. On the natural gas side, the company operates extensive distribution systems that serve approximately 4 million customers, ensuring safe and efficient energy delivery.
Strategic Initiatives and Infrastructure Investments
CenterPoint Energy is at the forefront of grid modernization and resilience, with significant investments in infrastructure upgrades and technological advancements. Through its Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative (GHRI) and Systemwide Resiliency Plan (SRP), the company is implementing bold actions to strengthen its electric grid against extreme weather events such as hurricanes, winter storms, and wildfires. These initiatives include system hardening, strategic undergrounding of power lines, and the deployment of self-healing grid technologies designed to minimize outages and improve restoration times.
Additionally, CenterPoint has partnered with Technosylva, a global leader in wildfire and extreme weather risk mitigation, to leverage predictive analytics and artificial intelligence. This collaboration enhances the company’s ability to anticipate and address risks to its infrastructure, reinforcing its commitment to proactive energy delivery solutions.
Commitment to Sustainability and Affordability
CenterPoint Energy is deeply committed to sustainability and customer affordability. The company’s investments in renewable energy integration and energy efficiency programs align with industry trends toward a cleaner energy future. At the same time, CenterPoint prioritizes cost-effective solutions, with customer rates for transmission and distribution services remaining relatively flat over the past decade.
Market Position and Competitive Landscape
As the only investor-owned electric and gas utility based in Texas, CenterPoint Energy holds a unique position in the energy market. Its extensive service footprint and focus on infrastructure resilience differentiate it from competitors. The company also owns a significant stake in Enable Midstream Partners, which operates natural gas and crude oil infrastructure assets, further diversifying its business portfolio.
Future Outlook
Looking ahead, CenterPoint Energy aims to solidify its position as a leader in utility resilience and reliability. With plans to invest billions in grid modernization and resiliency initiatives through 2028, the company is well-positioned to meet the growing energy demands of its service areas while addressing the challenges posed by climate change and extreme weather events. Its strategic focus on innovation, collaboration, and customer-centric solutions underscores its commitment to delivering safe, reliable, and sustainable energy for generations to come.
CenterPoint Energy (CNP) has announced the launch of state-specific social media accounts on X (formerly Twitter) for Texas, Indiana, Ohio, and Minnesota, starting in 2025. This initiative aims to provide more tailored local content and information to customers across its multi-state service territory.
The new accounts will share state-specific updates on company news, energy industry issues, weather updates, energy efficiency tips, emergency response, and outage information. The accounts can be found as @CenterPoint_TX, @CenterPoint_IN, @CenterPoint_OH, and @CenterPoint_MN. The company will maintain geotargeting on Facebook and Nextdoor, while LinkedIn and Instagram remain enterprise-level channels.
Customers in Louisiana and Mississippi will continue using the main @CenterPoint account until the completion of the previously announced natural gas assets sale in Q1 2025.
CenterPoint Energy is actively preparing for severe winter weather conditions expected to impact Texas. Following Governor Abbott's emergency declaration, the company has completed its winter preparedness checklist and is coordinating with emergency responders across Texas.
The company has implemented comprehensive winter preparedness measures, including inspecting all 270 substations, installing heaters to prevent ice damage, and maintaining freeze protection equipment. CenterPoint has submitted winter readiness declarations to both ERCOT and the Railroad Commission of Texas, confirming compliance with regulatory requirements adopted in 2021.
For natural gas operations, CenterPoint has positioned Compressed Natural Gas trucks for system support and validated station cold weather settings. The company has launched its Winter Energy Guide, an online resource hub for customers, and improved its cloud-based Outage Tracker system, which now includes Spanish language support and provides updates every five minutes.
CenterPoint Energy is actively preparing for severe cold weather expected to impact its service territories in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Indiana, and Ohio. The company has implemented comprehensive winter readiness measures across its electric and natural gas infrastructure, including:
- Inspection of 270 substations and critical equipment
- Installation of heaters and ice prevention devices
- Maintenance of freeze protection equipment
- Emergency training for operational personnel
- Positioning of Compressed Natural Gas trucks for system support
In Indiana, forecasts predict significant ice accumulation that could affect power lines. The company has submitted winter readiness declarations to ERCOT and the Railroad Commission of Texas, demonstrating compliance with regulatory requirements adopted in 2021. CenterPoint has also launched a Winter Energy Guide online resource hub and encourages electric customers to enroll in Power Alert Service® for outage updates.
CenterPoint Energy (CNP) has released a comprehensive New Year's resolution checklist for 2025, focusing on energy efficiency, bill management, and safety measures. The company outlines several initiatives including energy-saving programs, ENERGY STAR® LED adoption, and appliance rebates. The checklist emphasizes smart home solutions like thermostats and weatherization tips.
The company also promotes various billing solutions including payment plans for customers facing financial hardship, paperless billing, and Budget Billing to manage seasonal cost fluctuations. Safety recommendations include proper space heater usage, regular detector maintenance, carbon monoxide awareness, and natural gas leak protocols.
CenterPoint Energy (CNP) has proposed a solution to address ERCOT's projected electricity supply shortfall in the San Antonio region starting summer 2025. The company plans to relocate 15 large emergency generation units (27mW-32mW each) to San Antonio, potentially providing up to 450mW of power to help offset an expected 800-megawatt shortfall caused by the retirement of three gas-fired units.
The units would remain in Houston through winter 2024-2025 before being transported to San Antonio in early 2025 for approximately two years of service. CNP will not generate revenue or profit from this arrangement and plans to reduce Greater Houston-area customer bills starting Spring 2025. After the service period, CNP intends to market these units, citing strong demand from AI and data center growth.
CenterPoint Energy (NYSE: CNP) announced key leadership changes effective January 1, 2025. Richard C. Leger has been appointed Senior Vice President of the company's multi-state Gas business, following his interim role since July 2024. Bertha Villatoro has been elevated to Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer.
Current Executive VP and CHRO Lynne Harkel-Rumford will retire on February 3, 2024, after a 25-year career with the company. Leger will oversee operations serving 4.2 million customers across six states, while Villatoro will manage talent development, compensation, benefits, labor relations, and organizational development.
CenterPoint Energy (NYSE: CNP) has appointed Dean Seavers to its Board of Directors, effective December 31, 2024. Seavers, the former President of National Grid U.S. and Executive Director of National Grid's parent company, brings extensive utility industry experience to the role. He currently serves as a Senior Advisor for Stifel Financial and will fill a Board vacancy, standing for election at the 2025 annual shareholders meeting.
Seavers' background includes founding and serving as CEO of Red Hawk Fire & Security, leading GE Security, and serving as President of Global Services at UTC's Fire & Security business. He currently serves on the boards of Albemarle Corp., Ametek Inc., and Vine Hill Capital Investment Corp.
CenterPoint Energy has announced the appointment of Dean Seavers as a new member of its Board of Directors, effective December 16, 2024. Dean Seavers brings extensive leadership experience to the board, having previously held executive roles in various energy and utility companies. His addition aims to bolster CenterPoint's strategic initiatives and operational excellence.
CenterPoint Energy (NYSE: CNP) has announced a quarterly dividend increase, declaring a regular cash dividend of $0.2200 per share on Common Stock. This represents a $0.010 increase from the previous quarter's dividend. The dividend will be payable on March 13, 2025, to shareholders of record as of February 20, 2025. The dividend growth rate aligns with the upper range of the company's previously announced 6-8% non-GAAP earnings per share growth target.
CenterPoint Energy has launched a '12 Days of Holiday Safety' campaign to prepare customers for the 2025 winter storm season. The initiative combines daily safety tips with social media outreach, following the company's efforts to winterize its electric and gas infrastructure.
The campaign will provide safety resources through email and social media, covering topics like holiday lighting, cooking safety, outage tracking, candle safety, smoke detector testing, fireplace safety, tree care, space heater safety, energy conservation, emergency preparedness, warming center locations, and Power Alert Service enrollment. All resources will be available at CenterPointEnergy.com/ReadyForWinter.