CenterPoint Announces Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative
Source: Houston Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images / Getty
CenterPoint Energy announced its Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative that 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 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 have a lot of work to do to re-earn our customers’ trust. This initiative reflects our commitment to become most resilient coastal utility in the country,” said CenterPoint President and CEO Jason Wells.
Centerpoint says that through the month of August, more than 2,500 of its 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.
