HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Fredrik Sjodin’s Sugar Land neighborhood endured four days without power following Hurricane Beryl. Sjodin shared with ABC13 that he had previously requested CenterPoint Energy’s assistance in clearing vegetation near power lines before the storm, but his request went unanswered.
“It’s frustrating when it’s something that could have been easily prevented,” he said.
Sjodin, who has faced similar issues during other storms, added, “Instead of addressing this proactively, it becomes a big mess afterward.”
Over the weekend, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott echoed Sjodin’s concerns during a press conference. Abbott accused CenterPoint Energy of cutting corners and gave the company until the end of next month to remove vegetation threatening power lines.
“Reports indicate that CenterPoint spends significantly less on vegetation removal compared to others,” Abbott stated.
ABC13 questioned Brad Tutunjian, CenterPoint Energy’s vice president of regulatory policy, about data showing some competitors spending nearly four times more on vegetation removal per customer. Tutunjian attributed the discrepancy to population density, explaining that closer living quarters mean treating a single tree can impact more customers.
“In dense areas, the cost per customer is lower because of that,” Tutunjian said.
Public Utility Commission data shows Entergy, which also operates in densely populated Harris County, spends about $63 per customer on vegetation removal, whereas CenterPoint spends approximately $17 annually.
Tutunjian acknowledged that the utility’s “communication program was not where it should have been” during and after Beryl.
CenterPoint Energy has proposed spending tens of millions of dollars to improve its infrastructure program as part of a new utility plan. The state has until October to approve the proposal.
