CenterPoint Energy activates Emergency Operations Center ahead of weekend winter weather system

HOUSTON - Jan. 20, 2026 - With winter precipitation and freezing temperatures in the low 20s forecasted to impact CenterPoint Energy's service territory in Texas over the weekend and into next week, the company's Emergency Response & Preparedness, Electric Operations, Gas Operations and Meteorology teams continue actively monitoring weather models and preparing for cold and potentially icy conditions. Both Electric and Natural Gas teams across CenterPoint's Texas footprint are engaged in coordinated efforts to maintain readiness and address potential service impacts.

"We continue to diligently monitor the evolving weather forecasts across the communities we serve in Texas ahead of this weekend's potential winter weather. Our teams are well prepared, executing work in advance and will be ready to respond to any impacts from the forecasted conditions, including icy weather, high winds and wintry precipitation," said Don Daigler, CenterPoint's Senior Vice President, Emergency Preparedness and Response. "We will remain alert throughout the week and continue to coordinate with local officials as our communities take steps to prepare. We urge our customers to stay weather alert as conditions continue to develop and have an emergency plan in place."

Cold weather preparations
The company is prepared to respond to cold weather and has performed a series of proactive pre-winter preparedness actions to strengthen and winterize its electric and natural gas infrastructure across Texas, as well as inspect and test cold-weather critical equipment ahead of potential severe cold weather. CenterPoint is also deploying cold weather mitigations across its electric and gas infrastructure, developing plans to mobilize emergency response resources and coordinating with relevant local emergency responders and government officials in preparation.

The pre-winter safety and readiness actions taken by CenterPoint include:

• Inspecting and testing critical equipment, including all 270 electric substations, to prepare for high demand and cold temperatures;
• Communicating and coordinating with the Texas Public Utility Commission and ERCOT about statewide energy needs;
• Hardening electric and natural gas infrastructure across the Greater Houston area, including installing heaters and devices to prevent ice damage or buildup;
• Maintaining freeze protection equipment and enclosures for cold-weather critical components;
• Repairing thermal insulation and water-proofing materials;
• Positioning Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) trucks to be deployed to supplement the natural gas system, if needed;
• Coordinating and communicating with the Railroad Commission of Texas to identify and support operations of critical gas infrastructure for natural gas reliability;
• Monitoring more than 100 weather stations across the Greater Houston area to enhance situational awareness and storm preparation;
• Donated and installed more than 20 emergency backup generators at key locations across Greater Houston to improve local emergency preparedness and response efforts; and
• Conducted more than 19,000 total hours of emergency training in 2025 for hundreds of operational, emergency response and other personnel and contractors to strengthen severe weather preparation and response efforts.

The current weather forecast for CenterPoint's Houston electric service territory indicates the potential for ice accumulation next weekend, subject to updated forecasts. The company reminds customers and community members to always assume downed lines or wires are energized and potentially dangerous if contacted. Stay at least 35 feet away from downed power lines or fallen wires and keep a safe distance from objects touching downed lines (tree limbs, vehicles, fences, etc.) and immediately report downed power lines to CenterPoint.

Winter Energy Guide
CenterPoint's Winter Energy Guide is a comprehensive online resource hub featuring safety, energy savings and bill management tips to help customers stay safe and warm throughout the winter season. CenterPoint encourages customers to use this helpful resource to create their own cold weather plans and stay prepared. To learn more, visit CenterPointEnergy.com/ReadyforWinter.

Stay informed with Power Alert Service®
CenterPoint electric customers are encouraged to enroll in the company's Power Alert Service® to receive winter storm outage details, estimated restoration times and customer-specific restoration updates by phone call, text or email.

Have a plan and stay safe
CenterPoint encourages customers to prepare and have a plan to stay safe during severe winter weather. Customers can get storm-related safety tips at CenterPointEnergy.com/ActionCenter - available in English, Spanish and Vietnamese.

Customers can also stay up to date on outages with CenterPoint's Outage Tracker, available in English and Spanish. The Outage Tracker is built to handle increased traffic during storms, is mobile-friendly, accessible for those with disabilities and allows customers to see outages by county, city and zip code.

For the latest updates, follow CenterPoint on X and visit CenterPointEnergy.com/ActionCenter.

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 September 30, 2025, the company owned approximately $45 billion in assets. With approximately 8,300 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com.