NOTICE DATE:  February 19, 2021

 

NOTICE TYPE:  Informational – NEWS RELEASE

 

SHORT DESCRIPTION:  CenterPoint Energy provided the following update on its severe winter weather restoration efforts.

 

INTENDED AUDIENCE:  All Market Participants

 

LONG DESCRIPTION: 

·         Nearly all electric outages restored overnight

·         Isolated outages expected to be restored by the end of the day; some outages may be attributable to routine service issues; company will work to address all outages as safely and quickly as possible

·         Company to send Electric mutual assistance resources to support restoration efforts in other areas of Texas impacted by severe winter weather

·         Natural gas supply continues to be reliable and stable

 

CenterPoint Energy provided the following update on its severe winter weather restoration efforts:

 

At the peak of this event, approximately 1.4 million total customers were impacted by the severe winter weather event across CenterPoint Energy’s service territory. As of 8:30 a.m. CT, approximately 1.39 million customers have been restored. More than 99% of CenterPoint Energy’s customers currently have electric service, with less than 7,000 customers to be restored.

 

“We appreciate our customers’ patience and will continue to work hard to restore service as safely and quickly as possible,” said Kenny Mercado, CenterPoint Energy’s Executive Vice President, Electric Utility. “From elected officials and first responders, to community members who volunteered their time, we would also like to recognize the countless people who have answered the call during our area’s time of need. CenterPoint Energy’s employees will continue to work around the clock to serve our customers. It is a privilege to work with such a dedicated team.”

CenterPoint Energy’s customer outage numbers will continue to stabilize as the company works diligently and focuses on the remaining isolated outages, which in some cases can be attributed to damaged equipment from the severe winter weather event. The majority of these outages are expected to be restored by the end of the day. In other instances, outages may be attributed to routine service issues that occur on CenterPoint Energy’s system. The company will also be focused on addressing these outages as safely and quickly as possible.

 

The company also reminded customers to remain prepared for the potential for additional outages if CenterPoint Energy is once again directed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to reduce electricity on its system due to issues with generation capacity. CenterPoint Energy does not generate its own power, and outages due to the lack of generation availability are out of the company’s control.

 

Mercado added, “To help those in neighboring service territories in need, we will send our mutual assistance resources to support electric restoration efforts in other areas of the state impacted by the severe winter weather. As Texans, we want to do our part to help our fellow Texans.”

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:  CenterPoint Energy also said that its natural gas supply continues to remain reliable and stable.

“Having experienced another night of freezing temperatures across our eight-state service territory, we are proud to have maintained our ability to supply natural gas to our customers,” said Scott Doyle, CenterPoint Energy’s Executive Vice President, Natural Gas. “We thank our customers and others for answering the call to conserve, and continue to encourage them to do so, while being aware of natural gas safety measures as customers return to their homes and may be making repairs.”

If customers smell the “rotten egg” odor of natural gas, they should immediately leave on foot, go to a safe location and call both 911 and CenterPoint Energy. Customers are asked to be mindful of natural gas pipes inside and outside their homes if they need to make any repairs as a result of ruptured water lines.

Customers should visit https://www.texas811.org/ to educate themselves on safe digging practices and the importance of calling 811 to have utility lines marked prior to any digging activity.

CenterPoint Energy will continue to update customers through local media outlets, its website centerpointenergy.com and its social media channels, Twitter (@CNPalerts) and Facebook.

 

News release link: https://info.centerpointenergy.com/pdf/CNP-Update-News-release-2-19-21.pdf

 

Winter weather event FAQs as of 8:30 a.m. CT today

• Will there be more rolling outages?
  CenterPoint Energy was directed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to reduce electricity on its system overnight. At this time, we are not anticipating any additional orders for controlled outages. However, we want to remind customers to remain prepared for the potential for additional outages if we are once again directed by ERCOT to reduce electricity on our system due to issues with generation capacity. CenterPoint Energy delivers, but does not generate electricity, and outages due to the lack of generation availability are out of the company’s control. We appreciate the conservation efforts of our customers as we worked to bring our entire system online.

• I’m concerned about high electricity prices. Will my electric bill be high? CenterPoint Energy is a transmission and distribution delivery company, therefore we do not directly bill customers for their electric service. You may contact your electricity provider with billing questions.
• I received an email notifying me that I have a natural gas bill of $202,102.16. How do I have this addressed?
  If you received an e-mail notification showing an amount due of $202,102.16 for natural gas, please disregard. You do not owe this amount. Rest assured, this was only an email message error, not a billing error. Due to a recent technical issue caused by the Houston-area power outage, approximately 27,000 CenterPoint Energy natural gas customers in the Greater Houston area received an incorrect natural gas billing email. We apologize for the error and appreciate your continued patience.
  
  The correct bill and current balance may be found by logging into My Account Online and viewing “current amount due.” Only the amount found on your actual bill will be drafted if you are on auto-pay. Your bill can also be found in My Account online by selecting “view bill.”

 

• Why weren’t power plants prepared for cold weather?
  CenterPoint Energy is a transmission and distribution delivery company, and we do not own or operate power generation in Texas. When outages occur for any reason, CenterPoint Energy is committed to restoring power as safely and quickly as possible.

 

 

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