CenterPoint Energy Announces “10 Commitments for Texans” to Guide New Transmission Resiliency Projects and Prioritize Supporting Local Communities

New commitments will include: enhanced community engagement, Texas jobs, emphasis on affordability, local tax benefits, more than twice as much time for property owner feedback, and closer working partnerships with landowners.

 

Effort to highlight a Texas-first, community-first approach to transmission improvement projects vital to building a more resilient, reliable and affordable energy future.

 

HOUSTON – August 19, 2026 – Today, CenterPoint Energy announced a series of “10 Commitments for Texans” as part of a Texas-first, community-first approach to strengthening and modernizing the region’s and state’s transmission system and related energy infrastructure. CenterPoint’s “10 Commitments” will include billions of dollars in anticipated economic benefits, enhanced community engagement, including a longer timeline for property owner feedback on specific projects, an emphasis on delivering key local benefits, prioritizing affordability, creating Texas jobs, protecting the environment, as well as other key priorities. The emphasis on a more local, collaborative approach reflects the company’s overriding commitment to better serve its 2.9 million Houston electric customers and build a modern energy grid that is more reliable, more resilient, and will support future population growth and Texans’ growing energy needs.

 

“We are committed to working together with our local communities and Texas landowners to build a better, more reliable, and more resilient energy future. Our 10 Commitments reflect our sincere effort to put Texans and our communities first, help ensure that local communities and our region truly benefit, and treat everyone as partners with the opportunity to shape and make these vital energy infrastructure projects even better,” said Jason Ryan, CenterPoint Energy’s Executive Vice President, Regulatory Services and Government Affairs.

 

Texas Transmission Improvement Projects: 10 Commitments for Texans

The Texas transmission improvement projects represent vital energy infrastructure that CenterPoint believes will improve the future reliability and resiliency of the energy grid, while also meeting future growth that is projected across one of the fastest growing and most important regions in Texas and the nation. The “10 Commitments for Texans” outline the focus and goals that will guide all future CenterPoint major transmission projects that require a Certificate of Convenience and Necessity (CCN) from the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) and are longer than 100 miles, and include the following:

 

1. Committing to National and Texas Ratepayer Affordability Initiatives: CenterPoint welcomed and signed last month the White House’s “Ratepayer Protection Pledge,” and strongly supports the framework implemented by the Texas Legislature and Governor Abbott through last session’s Senate Bill 6, as part of a shared commitment to prioritize customer affordability, support economic growth, grid reliability and resiliency, and ensure that new large customers pay the costs associated with connecting and powering their businesses.

 

1. Prioritizing Affordability for Customers: CenterPoint recently announced a historic $5 billion Customer Savings Initiative for Texas families. Its upcoming transmission improvement projects will build on this commitment to keeping energy affordable by helping Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) customers save an additional $100+ million annually as local economies expand and share the cost of critical reliability and resiliency improvements.

 

1. Engaging More with Local Communities: CenterPoint supports an enhanced engagement strategy with local communities. This includes providing property owners with more than double the amount of time to provide critical feedback and working together with local Texans who know their communities best. The enhanced engagement actions for transmission improvement projects will include:

• Hosting webinars in addition to open houses to ensure landowners have multiple options to gather initial information about the project;
• Voluntarily extending the initial landowner comment period to 30 days after the first round of open houses and webinars;
• After taking the initial round of feedback into account, hosting a second round of open houses and webinars to explain any routing changes and continue working in partnership with local property owners prior to submitting an application to regulators;
• Adding a second opportunity for landowners to provide comments for 30 days following the second set of open houses and webinars;
• After the project application is submitted, voluntarily extending the time for landowners to intervene from 30 days to 60 days;
• Meeting with local organizations and stakeholders in addition to landowners during all of the above periods;
• Launching a dedicated website with an interactive map of the projects;
• Engaging with local property owners through a dedicated project email inbox and hotline, with a required response time of two business days; and
• Meeting with government agencies and officials before landowner and community notices go out.

 

1. Partnering with Local Landowners: CenterPoint respects local landowners and believes in partnering with them every step of the way to find shared solutions that will benefit their community. As a commitment to this partnership, CenterPoint will provide above-market valuations to impacted landowners, provide payment options (including lump sum or payments over time) and rely on independent appraisers, and is committed to a goal of acquiring at least 95% of required property for its projects without the use of eminent domain.

 

1. Creating Local Texas Jobs: CenterPoint supports creating good paying Texas jobs, and infrastructure projects built by Texans. For upcoming projects, this includes potentially creating approximately 41,000 Texas jobs by recruiting and hiring local Texans to support construction, equal to approximately $4.4 billion in salaries and local economic activity, and adding an anticipated 1,100 ongoing jobs once complete, based on a third-party economic impact study completed by IdeaSmiths.

 

1. Providing Funding for Vital Local Services: CenterPoint believes that local communities should benefit from future infrastructure projects, like its upcoming critical transmission reliability and resiliency improvements. Once completed, these projects are anticipated to deliver meaningful and lasting community benefits including approximately $120 million per year in new tax revenue to invest in local schools and other public services, according to the third-party economic impact study.

 

1. Avoiding Texas Rivers, Waterways and Unique Areas: CenterPoint deeply respects and understands the value that Texans place on the land and waterways. Protecting communities and unique local areas is vital, and CenterPoint reviews 40+ land use factors to reduce the proposed project area. Working to avoid wetlands, waterways and water tables is part of CenterPoint’s overall commitment to protecting unique Texas areas and species.

 

1. Respecting Ranchers, Farmers and Agricultural Resources: CenterPoint recognizes the vital importance of Texas farms, ranches and agricultural land, and is committed to coordinating closely with local landowners, agencies and organizations to respect these areas and identify property-specific solutions that work to lessen impacts to natural boundaries of pasture lands, bodies of water and livestock.

 

1. Prioritizing Health and Safety: CenterPoint prioritizes safety and is committed to meeting the highest industry safety standards. As part of a commitment to customers and property owners, CenterPoint will offer free electric and magnetic field testing at any customer’s home or business, along with other key resources, which are just part of the actions it will take to help provide peace of mind and safeguard the health and safety of local communities.

 

1. Making Use of Existing Corridors: CenterPoint is determined to reduce the local impact of these projects wherever possible. As part of its commitment to reducing impacts on private property owners and minimizing the footprint of any infrastructure, CenterPoint will review existing utility corridors and easements to determine where it can parallel new infrastructure and equipment.

 

CenterPoint Energy is in the initial planning stages of its vital transmission improvement efforts and continues to conduct local and community outreach, including gathering feedback from local stakeholders, property owners and community members to help shape the design of proposed projects and determine potential transmission line location options to best serve Texans. As part of this enhanced engagement effort, CenterPoint has already hosted a series of meetings with federal, state and local government officials and community organizations and continues to host local community webinars and open house events to gather feedback and hear directly from local property owners.

 

To learn more about the proposed Hillje-Blu Lacy Transmission Improvement Project, visit CenterPointEnergy.com/Hillje-BluLacyResiliencyProject.

 

About CenterPoint Energy, Inc. 

As the only investor owned electric and gas utility based in Texas, CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) is an energy delivery company with electric transmission and distribution, power generation and natural gas distribution operations that serve more than 7 million metered customers in Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Texas. As of June 30, 2026, the company owned approximately $48.3 billion in assets. With approximately 8,800 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com.

 

Forward-Looking Statement
This news release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based upon assumptions of management which are believed to be reasonable at the time made and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual events and results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Any statements in this news release regarding future events, such as the potential for transmission projects and the benefits therefrom (including tax revenue and related benefits and jobs creation), the reliability and resiliency of the electric grid, and any other statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Each forward-looking statement contained in this news release speaks only as of the date of this release. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the provided forward-looking information include risks and uncertainties relating to: (1) business strategies and strategic initiatives involving CenterPoint Energy or its industry; (2) CenterPoint Energy’s ability to fund and invest planned capital, and the timely recovery of its investments; (3) financial market and general economic conditions; (4) the timing and impact of future regulatory, legislative and political actions or developments; and (5) other factors, risks and uncertainties discussed in CenterPoint Energy’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025 and CenterPoint’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2026 and June 30, 2026 and other reports CenterPoint Energy or its subsidiaries may file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.