After two weeks in Houston helping CenterPoint Energy struggle to restore power to millions of residents following Hurricane Beryl, more than 100 line crews and support staff from Oklahoma Gas and Electric are back home.
OGE’s team of 105 workers returned to their Oklahoma and Arkansas homes over the weekend while the utility they helped is under heavy criticism and possible state investigations—not to mention the target of angry residents over their long periods without electrical power.
Line workers assisted with power restoration in Sugar Land, Barrett, Baytown and Angleton, Texas after Hurricane Beryl caused significant structural damage to the Houston area and surrounding communities. According to CenterPoint Energy’s outage tracker, over 2.2 million customers were initially left without power. Despite the challenging conditions, OG&E restoration personnel worked around the clock in difficult areas and re-energizing approximately 1,500 CenterPoint customers each day.
OG&E line crews worked 16-hour days to complete extensive circuit work, which involved restoring power to individual homes and businesses, removing dangerous obstacles, and repairing essential electrical equipment.
“When over two million people lose power, it’s an enormous undertaking to get everything up and running, and our line workers stepped up to help our neighbors in need,” said Chris Bristol, OG&E Distribution Construction Manager.
“We appreciated all of the folks in the communities who encouraged our line crews, handed out snacks and water, and expressed their gratitude as our team restored power as quickly and safely as possible. While we return to our homes tired, we are grateful to have had the chance to help and contribute in a meaningful way.”
At CenterPoint’s request, OG&E aided with restoration as part of the Midwest Mutual Assistance, which dispatches mutual assistance teams across the nation during widespread outages caused by storms.
“Electric companies support each other when extreme weather affects our communities – even if that community isn’t in our state,” said Andrea Dennis, OG&E Vice President of Transmission & Distribution Operations. “We helped our neighbors in Texas this season and soon, they could be helping us. Mutual assistance ensures we are prepared for any weather event and have support when the unimaginable happens.”
The power was restored for CenterPoint Energy but the utility remains under investigation by the state of Texas. The governor of Texas was angered over the slow restoration effort by the utility following the hurricane.
CenterPoint had a $2.3 billion plan to harden its grid infrastructure and is under scrutiny. It also spent $800 million on 20 generators in 2021 but the Houston Chronicle reported that almost none were deployed in the power outages after Hurricane Beryl because they take days to assemble and can’t be moved without special permits.
Adding to the problems for Centerpoint Energy, it’s been hit with a $100 million class action lawsuit filed by a group of Houston restaurants after they lost power during the hurricane. They accused the utility of inadequately maintaining its grid infrastructure.