CenterPoint Energy is making major moves to strengthen Houston’s power grid with its enhanced Systemwide Resiliency Plan.
The goal? To reduce power outages caused by extreme weather like hurricanes, floods, and even winter storms—and keep the lights on when Houston needs it most.
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The company says this $5.75 billion plan is the largest grid resiliency investment in its history. Once completed, it’s expected to cut down on outage times by 1.3 billion minutes, reduce storm-related costs for customers, and prevent outages for over 500,000 customers during major storms.
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CenterPoint says they have already made strides with its Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative, installing storm-resistant poles, clearing thousands of miles of vegetation, and placing more automation devices on the grid.
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The plan has been created to make Houston’s power grid safer, more reliable, and ready for whatever extreme weather comes our way.
Here’s what they’re doing:
- Self-Healing Power Lines: By 2029, all major power lines will be equipped with smart devices that can quickly fix themselves during an outage. This means faster power restoration when the grid is down.
- Flood-Proof Substations: Nearly every substation will be raised above the 500-year flood plain, preventing damage from flooding and keeping power flowing even in heavy rain.
- Underground Power Lines: Over half of CenterPoint’s system will be moved underground. This is to reduce risk of outages caused by high winds, fallen trees, or debris.
- Stronger Poles: They’re installing or reinforcing 130,000 power poles that can withstand winds up to 132 mph. This helps protect against severe storms and keeps the grid standing tall.
- Vegetation Management: Every three years, CenterPoint will clear hazardous trees and branches around power lines, making sure vegetation doesn’t cause outages.
- Stronger Transmission Towers: Over 2,200 transmission towers will be rebuilt or upgraded to handle more extreme weather and improve overall grid reliability.
- Modernized Underground Cables: CenterPoint will upgrade 34,500 spans of underground cables to reduce outages and improve long-term reliability.
