Texas Governor Gives Utilities Deadline to Fix Ongoing Power Outages

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has given the power company blamed for widespread, prolonged power outages in the Houston area until the end of the month to come up with a plan to minimize future outages or face unspecified executive orders aimed at fixing its shortcomings.

CenterPoint Energy, which is responsible for distributing electricity from the source of generation to homes and businesses in its service area, has come under fire for the record 2.2 million Houston-area customers who lost power after Beryl slammed ashore last week as a Category 1 hurricane. The company said 98% of those customers have had their power restored, but that still leaves nearly 300,000 customers without lights, refrigeration and air conditioning amid sweltering heat.

A deadly heat wave hit the region last week, with some residents without power taking refuge in their vehicles, cooling centers and hotels. Houston recorded a heat index of 103 degrees on Monday, according to the National Weather Service.

“Suffice it to say, time is running out for CenterPoint to step up and get the job done,” Abbott said at a news conference Monday in Houston, where he was joined by Mayor John Whitmire and Thomas Gleeson, chairman of the Texas Public Utility Commission.

“The lack of power (at CenterPoint) continues to jeopardize the lives of residents in the Greater Houston-Harris County area,” Abbott added. “If you’re without power in the extreme heat we’re facing, that alone can be problematic.”

Meanwhile, local and state agencies are providing ready-made meals to people who don’t have electricity and access to food, water and other necessities, Abbott said. Law enforcement presence in the area has also increased with the deployment of more Texas Department of Public Safety officers and other officers from various parts of Texas.

‘No end in sight’:Days after Beryl, scorching heat and power outages for more than 500,000 people in Texas

CenterPoint Energy Promises to Restore Power to Remaining Customers

In a press release Monday, CenterPoint said it was “repositioning crews and equipment” to repair damaged cables and poles in areas where the need is greatest. While power has been restored to nearly 2 million customers, a senior company official acknowledged that too many people are still waiting.

“We know that remaining customers are counting on us and we are committed to restoring power to all remaining customers able to receive it,” said Lynnae Wilson, senior vice president of CenterPoint.

As CenterPoint works to address the remaining outages, Abbott’s guidelines require it to provide the governor’s office with detailed plans to clear all vegetation that threatens power lines, outline how it will prepare for future tropical storms that threaten the Gulf Coast, and specify the steps it will take to position personnel “to immediately respond to any power outages that may occur for any tropical storms that impact their service area.”

Gleeson, whose agency regulates the Texas electricity market, said the state Public Utilities Commission will also investigate CenterPoint’s actions related to the outages.

“CenterPoint has to do better. I can only ask them to,” Gleeson said. “I have tried to impress upon their leadership that CenterPoint has to have a sense of urgency. What I assure the governor is that I will take the steps that we can take immediately and we will not wait to implement them. I expect those steps to be taken during this hurricane season.”

This isn’t the first time CenterPoint has come under fire for power outages. In 2020, Texas grocery chain HEB sued the energy company over a rate increase, arguing that it had been forced to install backup generators in its stores due to repeated outages and shouldn’t have to pay a higher energy bill on top of those costs. HEB won, and the company ousted its CEO.

Aftermath of Hurricane Beryl

Beryl, the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record, hit the Caribbean earlier this month, damaging infrastructure and power lines in Jamaica, Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. At least 11 people were killed across the Caribbean.

In the United States, Texas was the hardest hit by the storm that hit the state’s Gulf Coast last Monday as a Category 1 hurricane.

Heavy rains and strong winds flooded streets, trapped people in their cars and knocked out power to more than 2 million homes and businesses. Beryl also caused numerous tornadoes across the state and parts of the Ohio Valley.

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