HOUSTON — CenterPoint Energy is replacing traditional wooden power poles with storm-resilient infrastructure designed to withstand severe weather ahead of Houston’s next major storm or hurricane.
The work is happening in neighborhoods across the Houston area, including the Heights, where crews are replacing 50 poles as part of CenterPoint’s Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative.
The initiative was launched after Hurricane Beryl hit the Houston area in July 2024, which left over 2 million CenterPoint customers without power.
CenterPoint Energy says the new fiberglass poles are designed to withstand winds of up to 132 miles per hour and are unlikely to break if large branches or trees crash down on power lines.
“Instead of the pole breaking, the pole just bends and we can clear it, and it’ll go right back up, so we can get that power right back on for our customers,” said Caroline Geiger, director of distribution programs at CenterPoint Energy.
Since launching the Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative in August 2024, CenterPoint says it has upgraded over 82,000 storm-resilient poles and equipment across its service area.
The company has also trimmed or cleared over 13,000 miles of vegetation near power lines and installed over 800 automation devices referred to as “trip savers,” which can automatically reboot a power line without needing a crew to arrive. Additionally, workers have reportedly also completed over 20,000 hours of storm-prep training.
“All of these upgrades reduce the frequency and duration of power outages for our customers,” said Geiger.
Residents can track resiliency projects happening in their own neighborhoods through CenterPoint’s Community Progress Tracker.