Tag Archives: blackouts

CenterPoint’s useless generators officially sent to San Antonio

They will not be useless there. Texas’ main grid operator on Tuesday approved a $54 million plan to replace two aging natural gas-powered plants near San Antonio with the massive mobile generators that CenterPoint Energy came under fire for not … Continue reading

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SCOTx hears appeal of lawsuits over Winter Storm Uri deaths

The question at issue is whether anyone can be sued, since at this point there are no defendants left. The Texas Supreme Court revisited the deadly mass outages of the 2021 freeze on its fourth anniversary during a Wednesday hearing, which … Continue reading

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There are bills to require backup power for nursing homes and assisted living facilities

Good, but it’s a long way from filing to passing. When a storm hits the Texas coast during the summer hurricane season, state Sen. Borris Miles knows among the first calls he’ll get is from a constituent letting him know … Continue reading

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CenterPoint proposes small rate decrease

A win is a win. More than six months after CenterPoint Energy came under fire for its response to Hurricane Beryl — and its proposal to raise its rates — Houston’s main electricity company announced Wednesday that it reached a settlement that will … Continue reading

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This time the power stayed on

The weather cooperated by not being as bad as it could have been. Most Houston-area residents woke up to two delights Tuesday morning: an unusually thick blanket of snow, and the power thankfully still on. It was a sharp contrast … Continue reading

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Harris County passes backup power rule for nursing homes

Good. Assisted living facilities and nursing homes in the unincorporated areas of Harris County now are required to install backup power generators to keep heating and cooling systems operational during electrical outages, making the county among the first in Texas … Continue reading

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CenterPoint finds a use for those useless-to-us generators

San Antonio, here they come. A plan is in the works to partially relieve Houston-area ratepayers of CenterPoint Energy’s $800 million lease of controversial generators that have sat mostly unused during power outages. The bulk of the lease includes 15 large generators, … Continue reading

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Interview with Sandie Haverlah of the Texas Consumer Association

You might have noticed that CenterPoint has been in the news a lot lately. There’s the various audits of its performance during Beryl and the derecho, proposed legislation to make it refund the money it spent (and charged to customers) … Continue reading

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PUC releases its initial CenterPoint report

Some reasonable recommendations in there. The Public Utility Commission of Texas on Thursday made public the results of its investigation into the performance of CenterPoint Energy and other Houston-area electric utilities during Hurricane Beryl and the May derecho, offering up … Continue reading

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PUC to audit CenterPoint

Missed this last week. The Public Utility Commission of Texas took a step toward an audit of CenterPoint Energy, fulfilling Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s directive issued in the wake of widespread criticism of the Houston-area electric utility’s handling of Hurricane … Continue reading

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Two CenterPoint updates

We’ll see about this. State Sen. Phil King, R-Weatherford, filed legislation Tuesday that would create a process to refund Houstonians for charges associated with CenterPoint Energy’s $800 million lease of generators that went largely unused after Hurricane Beryl. King’s North Texas district … Continue reading

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On cryptomining and power plants

I say again, there’s a political opportunity here, and it involves being on the right side of an issue. About 150 angry residents gathered in a conference center here on Monday for a public meeting hosted by the state environmental … Continue reading

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ERCOT will connect to the US grid

How about that? The power grid better known as the Texas Interconnection, operated by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), is famous for being isolated from the other major U.S. grids. But that may soon finally change. The Department of Energy (DOE) announced … Continue reading

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Complaint filed over CenterPoint’s unused generators

I’ll admit, I didn’t even know there was a complaint process for this. The Texas Consumer Association filed a complaint Wednesday asking the state utility regulator to deny CenterPoint Energy the ability to continue to pass on the costs of … Continue reading

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We’re stuck with CenterPoint’s useless generators

So what can we do about them? CenterPoint Energy executives said Thursday the company cannot terminate its lease for barely used generators that have already cost the utility $800 million, shocking regulators who are now turning on the investment after … Continue reading

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Paxton to investigate CenterPoint

Whatever. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced on Monday his office will investigate CenterPoint’s conduct during Hurricane Beryl, which wiped out power to millions of the utility’s Houston-area customers last month. “My office is aware of concerning allegations regarding CenterPoint … Continue reading

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More on the cryptomining noise problem

It does sound like hell. Over the course of several months in 2024, TIME spoke to more than 40 people in the Granbury area who reported a medical ailment that they believe is connected to the arrival of the Bitcoin … Continue reading

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A checklist for CenterPoint

I’ve said on multiple occasions as various officeholders have (correctly and justifiably) dumped on CenterPoint that they owe us a list of actual things they intend to do about them. This op-ed by Sandra Haverleh of the Texas Consumer Association … Continue reading

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The House gets its turn to yell at CenterPoint

They mostly focused on tree maintenance, which seems reasonable enough. House lawmakers on Wednesday questioned CenterPoint Energy’s tree maintenance ahead of Hurricane Beryl, in which tens of thousands of trees knocked out power lines, shutting off electricity to 2.3 million … Continue reading

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Who’s going to pay for derecho damage?

Well, CenterPoint would like for that to be us. CenterPoint Energy expects to incur as much as $1.8 billion in costs from its efforts to restore power after May’s severe storms and July’s Hurricane Beryl, company executives said during a … Continue reading

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So about those generators CenterPoint bought…

I’m fine with all of this, but it shouldn’t be the endpoint of the conversation. It’s not even the main point. A state lawmaker said Monday he was considering pushing legislation to recoup some of the $800 million CenterPoint Energy … Continue reading

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On rooftop solar

There are a couple of things to consider as you read this. Texas ranks third in the country in electricity generation from small-scale solar, including rooftop solar, trailing California and Arizona, according to the Energy Information Administration. (The federal office … Continue reading

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CenterPoint gets its first grilling

I’m sure there will be more of this to come. But we need action, not just talk. Texas utility regulators grilled CenterPoint Energy executives Thursday over their performance in the days following Hurricane Beryl, when millions of Houston-area residents lost … Continue reading

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Class action lawsuit #3 filed against CenterPoint

Once, twice, three times a Beryl-related class action lawsuit related to CenterPoint’s failure to get the power back in a timely fashion. A firm representing 19 medical professionals and other business owners in Harris County filed a class action claim … Continue reading

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Could Montgomery County replace CenterPoint?

We’ll see. I’m very skeptical, but I consider this to be an interesting test case of the proposition that CenterPoint’s service area could be reduced. After Beryl wiped out power in the [Creekside Park] neighborhood and the county, officials within … Continue reading

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Another Tuesday Beryl roundup

Hurricane Beryl killed at least 22 people in the Houston area. More than half were heat-related deaths. Hurricane Beryl claimed at least 22 lives in the Houston area. Recent additions to the list include 11 people who died from hyperthermia, … Continue reading

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Another class action lawsuit filed against CenterPoint

You’re involved in this one. Michael Fertitta, son of Rockets owner and Landry’s Inc. CEO Tilman Fertitta, is one of three lawyers representing plaintiffs in a lawsuit against CenterPoint Energy in the wake of Hurricane Beryl. The lawsuit, which was … Continue reading

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Another Friday Beryl roundup

Still lots to keep up on, so let’s get to it. CenterPoint spent $800M on mobile generators. Where are they post-Hurricane Beryl? Over the last three years, CenterPoint Energy – the company in charge of delivering power to millions of … Continue reading

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Buzbee draws a crowd of plaintiffs

Apparently, lots of people would like to sue CenterPoint. Can’t really say I’m surprised. It took a week after Hurricane Beryl swept through Houston for CenterPoint to fully restore the power at Mechelle Tran’s Gulf Coast-inspired resaurant Riel. She and … Continue reading

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Buzbee to file class action lawsuit against CenterPoint

Give the man credit, he knows how to take initiative. The Buzbee Law Firm, representing a cohort of Houston restaurants, is filing a class action lawsuit against CenterPoint Energy. Attorney Tony Buzzbee released a statement on social media, stating the … Continue reading

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PUC launches its CenterPoint investigation

Whatever. The Public Utility Commission on Monday launched an investigation into CenterPoint’s response to widespread power outages that continue one week after Hurricane Beryl swept through the region, Chairman Thomas Gleeson said. The commission’s staff will recommend changes CenterPoint can … Continue reading

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The last 250K

One full week after Beryl, a lot of people still don’t have power. CenterPoint Energy has restored power to over 2 million customers as of Monday morning, leaving about 250,000 residents without electricity a week after Hurricane Beryl swept through … Continue reading

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Now we’re concerned about crypto mining?

So, are we like gonna roll up the red carpet we laid out for these guys a couple of years ago? Texas is now home to 10 of 34 large Bitcoin mines. During cold spells or heat waves, Texans are … Continue reading

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Oh, look, Greg Abbott’s back

Whatever. Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday slammed utility CenterPoint Energy, which has yet to restore power for hundreds of thousands of customers in the Houston area, and ordered the company to take steps to improve power reliability. In his first … Continue reading

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