by Nicole Bradford
Public meetings regarding planned improvements by CenterPoint Energy in the wake of Hurricane Beryl will be held this Saturday in Brazoria County.
A come-and-go public meeting hosted by CenterPoint representatives will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Dow Academic Center, 500 College Blvd., in Lake Jackson.
Saturday’s event is one of a series held in the Houston area regarding what the company calls the Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative.
Among plans announced by the company are $4 billion in proposed investments — enhancements to its outage tracker, “system hardening,” and grid technology to build resiliency.
The goal, CenterPoint President and CEO Jason Wells said in an announcement, is “to build the most resilient coastal grid in the country that can better withstand the extreme weather of the future.”
After more than 80 percent of customers lost power after the July 8 hurricane, many waiting weeks for restoration, with little or incorrect information available regarding outages or restoration timelines.
“You don’t even have people to answer your phone when the power goes out,” one social media commenter said. “We’re going back to the Whataburger app to figure out what is going on.”
Going forward, concerns center on more than a billion in damages done by Beryl to electricity infrastructure that could be passed on to customers through rate hikes.
The new system resiliency plan is expected to be filed with the Public Utility Commission of Texas by Jan. 31, 2025. According to CenterPoint, the plan will be shaped by customer feedback, external experts, and other stakeholders, including elected officials and local agencies.
