CenterPoint to inspect cold-weather equipment, prepare emergency plans ahead of 2025 winter season – Houston Public Media

Pexels

CenterPoint Energy will inspect cold-weather equipment and coordinate emergency plans with grid operators ahead of the 2025 winter season, the company announced earlier this month.

In December, CenterPoint, The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and the utility company’s industry partners discussed preparations for potential winter weather events that could cause high energy demand and strain the electric grid.

“This exercise included a tabletop review of different scenarios and exams for participants to foster collaboration and coordination around winter preparedness,” according to CenterPoint.

In preparation for high demand and cold temperatures over the 2025 winter season, CenterPoint announced it will inspect and test critical equipment, including more than 270 substations. The company will also harden electric and natural gas infrastructure across the Greater Houston area by installing heaters and devices to prevent ice damage and buildup.

Temperatures in January early this year plummeted into the mid-30’s for several days. The freezing temperatures left thousands of CenterPoint Energy customers around Harris County without power. Grid operations returned to normal conditions as temperatures rose.

The arctic blast that swept through Houston in January resulted in dozens of ice-related crashes, despite several highways being treated with salt-brine mixtures to prevent freezing.

RELATED: Arctic blast continues: More than 100 ice-related crashes since midnight, Houston police say

In preparation for potentially freezing temperatures in the early months of 2025, CenterPoint will also maintain freeze protection equipment, repair damaged or degraded thermal insulation and water-proofing materials, and conduct emergency training.

Hundreds of operational personnel and contractors will undergo training to prepare for, mitigate and respond to the impacts of severe weather over the winter season.

“Our CenterPoint Texas team is focused on working closely with our emergency partners and preparing the grid for the impact of potential winter storms and extreme cold,” Darin Carroll, a spokesperson for the company said in a press release.

“As part of this effort, we are taking actions that will be vital if, or when, a winter storm impacts the energy system,” Carroll said. “Our goal is to be ready to respond to any emergency, even as we build the most resilient and reliable coastal grid in the country that can withstand extreme weather at any time of the year.”

On Dec. 19, CenterPoint announced a plan to send 15 of its mobile generators, currently located in Houston, to San Antonio to alleviate an anticipated electricity shortfall. The company faced scrutiny following Hurricane Beryl after the company’s $800 million lease of the generators went mostly unused during the more than 1 million power outages.

For now, those units will remain in Houston in the case of a winter storm or extreme temperatures at the beginning of the 2025 winter season, according to the company.