HOUSTON — CenterPoint Energy announced its Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative on Monday, August 5, which includes a series of immediate actions to improve resiliency and reduce the risk of outages from the next major storm or hurricane.
The initiative, which reflects direct feedback from Governor Greg Abbott, includes an accelerated timeline to execute specific actions to strengthen electric infrastructure across Houston, and more than 40 critical actions in total to strengthen the electric grid, and improve the company’s customer communications and emergency coordination before the next hurricane.
“We have heard the calls for change, and we are taking action now. This first phase of our Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative will focus on a series of targeted actions to immediately strengthen our infrastructure across our communities. We know we have a lot of work to do to re-earn our customers’ trust. This initiative reflects our commitment to become the most resilient coastal utility in the country,” said CenterPoint President and CEO Jason Wells.
Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative: Taking Action Now
According to a news release, over the remainder of the month, more than 2,500 CenterPoint frontline workers and contractors will be taking a series of targeted actions to strengthen the grid and reduce the risk of outages before the next major storm. These actions include:
- Installing stronger and more storm-resilient poles: CenterPoint will be replacing approximately 1,000 wooden poles by August 31 with stronger fiberglass poles that can withstand winds up to 132 MPH.
- Trimming or removing vegetation from our lines: CenterPoint has doubled its vegetation management workforce in order to remove higher-risk vegetation near power lines by August 31.
- Installing automated devices: CenterPoint will install approximately 300 automated devices, known as trip savers. These devices mean that fewer customers experience outages, and quicker restoration times for those who do. The devices automatically re-energize the line in certain outages, to help keep the power on for customers.
Meeting Governor Abbott’s Accelerated Timeline
During a meeting with Governor Abbott, the governor expressed the need for an accelerated timeline of actions outlined within the company’s proposed Plan of Action that included more than 40 key actions to improve the resiliency of the electric grid and the company’s overall emergency preparedness. CenterPoint committed to the more accelerated timeline designed to strengthen the grid throughout the month of August as part of its Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative.
“We share the governor’s urgency around hurricane preparedness and increased resiliency of the grid and are committed to completing these critical actions on an accelerated timeline. The actions we are taking this month are just the beginning. We want to exceed the Governor’s and our customers’ expectations and improve in every aspect of our emergency response – before, during, and after any future storm or hurricane,” Wells said.
CenterPoint says the accelerated timeline for resiliency-focused actions, which represents the first phase of its Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative, will be executed throughout the month of August, and will include work across our Houston community. CenterPoint has already completed 15 of the actions and will be providing ongoing updates on its progress. CenterPoint’s full list of actions, including the new, accelerated timeline for execution can be viewed here.
Source: CenterPoint Energy
