Power Restored to Over 252,000 Customers as Entergy Texas Looks to Strengthen Infrastructure Against Future Storms
Eliecer Viamontes, President and CEO of Entergy Texas, Inc., expressed sincere appreciation for the patience and understanding of customers as restoration teams worked tirelessly to restore power following Hurricane Beryl. The hurricane brought heavy rain, peak wind gusts of up to 97 miles per hour, and a tornado, resulting in widespread damage and power outages across the Entergy Texas service area. The severe weather caused significant debris and damage, particularly from fallen trees and vegetation affecting the electrical system.
Viamontes acknowledged the hardships caused by power outages, especially during the summer, and expressed gratitude for the support shown by the community. “Our employees know firsthand the hardships for customers caused by power outages, especially during the summer, and I want to personally express my gratitude for your unwavering support as we strived to bring power back to over 252,000 affected customers,” he said.
Thanks to the efforts of more than 2,500 restoration workers, power was restored to nearly all impacted customers just one week after Hurricane Beryl’s landfall. Restoration work included repairing more than the distance between Conroe and Austin in downed power lines, highlighting the extensive damage and the massive effort required to bring the power back online.
In addition to the restoration efforts, Entergy Texas donated $125,000 to the American Red Cross for storm relief and actively promoted cooling centers across the service area to further support communities during this challenging time.
Entergy Texas is also looking towards the future with strategic investments to strengthen the Southeast Texas power grid. In June, the company filed an application with the Public Utility Commission of Texas for approval of Phase I of the Texas Future Ready Resiliency Plan. This comprehensive plan aims to decrease future storm restoration costs by approximately $129 million and reduce the duration of power outages following significant weather events by 4.5 billion minutes over the next fifty years.
“Our commitment is to provide safe, reliable, and affordable power to our communities, even amidst extreme weather events,” Viamontes added. “With storms impacting the Gulf Coast region more frequently and with greater intensity, our investments in the power grid will ensure better service and faster recovery in the future.”
Entergy Texas announces resiliency plan to strengthen the Southeast Texas power grid
The plan benefits communities by minimizing outages, reducing restoration costs and improving recovery times for extreme weather events while keeping rates affordable.
THE WOODLANDS, Texas – Extreme weather has become more frequent and severe in Texas. According to the National Centers for Environmental Information, there have been 179 extreme weather events in Texas from 1980 to June 2024, including hurricanes and winter storms. These extreme events, coupled with an increased dependence on electricity to power homes, businesses, and essential services, underscore the need for an even more resilient electrical grid.
To better protect the Southeast Texas power grid from extreme weather and improve service reliability, Entergy Texas recently filed an application with the Public Utility Commission of Texas for approval of Phase I of its comprehensive Texas Future Ready Resiliency Plan. Once approved, the investments included in Phase I are expected to benefit customers by decreasing future storm restoration costs by approximately $129 million and reducing the duration of power outages following significant weather events by 4.5 billion minutes over the next fifty years.
“The increasing frequency and cost of storm restoration, the increasing impact from prolonged outages and recently passed state legislation demonstrate that now is the optimal time to pursue key grid hardening investments,” said Eliecer Viamontes, president and CEO of Entergy Texas. “While Entergy Texas has historically invested in the reliability and resiliency of its generation, transmission, and distribution systems, significant and emerging circumstances support the need to accelerate the pace of these investments. Our comprehensive Resiliency Plan creates stronger communities while managing customer bill impacts.”
Phase I of the company’s Resiliency Plan is a multiyear proposal that includes six key measures to prevent, withstand, and recover from damage imposed by significant storm events.
- Distribution feeder hardening: Rebuilding main feeder lines to a storm-resilient overhead design standard.
- Lateral hardening: Rebuilding neighborhood distribution lines to a storm-resilient overhead design.
- Transmission rebuild: Replacing poles with higher wind-rated structures and equipment on high-voltage lines.
- Lateral undergrounding: Undergrounding select overhead neighborhood lines.
- Substation control house remediation: Hardening substations by upgrading roofs to meet wind standards.
- Targeted vegetation management: Proactive inspections and trimming to mitigate vegetation-related outages and wildfire risks.
The accelerated hardening projects included in Phase I total a $335 million investment in the Southeast Texas power grid. To minimize the impact on monthly customer bills, Entergy Texas plans to seek $198 million in non-ERCOT grants from the Texas Energy Fund to help finance these projects. The company has also applied for federal dollars under the Department of Energy’s Grid Innovation and Resilience Partnerships program to invest more than $107 million to strengthen the Port Arthur grid, a portion of which would offset the cost of hardening projects included in Phase I. Entergy Texas continues to look for innovative ways to lessen the storm risks and costs for its coastal communities. Another example involves exploring an expedited storm securitization process, which could save customers millions of dollars over the long term compared to traditional financing methods.
Since the early 2000s, Entergy Texas has been making strategic investments to make the Southeast Texas power grid more resilient. Recent projects include the Palms substation on the Bolivar Peninsula, which is raised on platforms to better withstand potential storm surges, and the replacement of aging power lines and utility poles in the Port Arthur community to withstand weather events as strong as a Category 4 hurricane.
“The City of Port Arthur holds dear the commitment by Entergy Texas in our joint partnership to harden the Southeast Texas power grid and build a more resilient energy future for our community,” said Thurman Bartie, mayor for the City of Port Arthur.
“We are grateful that Entergy Texas is planning for the future and staying a ‘STEP Ahead’ of growing electrical needs in Beaumont,” said Roy West, mayor for the City of Beaumont. “Because of Entergy Texas’ hard work, Beaumont and the entire Southeast Texas area continue to have a bright energy future.”
The accelerated resiliency efforts proposed in Entergy Texas’ Resiliency Plan are a key component of the company’s Southeast Texas Energy Plan, also known as the STEP Ahead plan. This strategic initiative aims to add 1,600 megawatts of generation capacity to the Southeast Texas power grid by 2028 by keeping rates affordable, building more generation, investing in a diverse mix of generation resources, and strengthening the grid to withstand extreme weather.
For more information about Entergy Texas’ STEP Ahead plan and ongoing efforts to meet the region’s growing energy needs, click here.
About Entergy Texas
Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to approximately 512,000 customers in 27 counties. Entergy Texas is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation, a Fortune 500 electric company. Entergy powers life for 3 million customers through its operating companies in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. We’re investing in the reliability and resilience of the energy system while helping our region transition to cleaner, more efficient energy solutions. With roots in our communities for more than 100 years, Entergy is a nationally recognized leader in sustainability and corporate citizenship. Since 2018, we have delivered more than $100 million in economic benefits each year to local communities through philanthropy, volunteerism and advocacy. Entergy is headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana, and has approximately 12,000 employees. For the latest news from Entergy Texas, visit the Newsroom and connect with @EntergyTX on social media.
