CENTERPOINT ENERGY CAUTIONARY STATEMENT

This report contains statements concerning our expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future operations, events, financial position, earnings, growth, costs, prospects, capital investments or performance or underlying assumptions and other statements that are not historical facts. These statements are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. 

You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these statements. You can generally identify our forward-looking statements by the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “goal,” “intend,” “may,” “objective,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “projection,” “should,” “target,” “will,” or other similar words. The absence of these words, however, does not mean that the statements are not forward-looking. 

We have based our forward-looking statements on our management’s beliefs and assumptions based on information currently available to our management at the time the statements are made. Actual events and results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Any statement on this website regarding future events, such as CenterPoint Energy’s carbon emission reduction goals, including its net-zero emission goals, and its ability to achieve such goals and related timing thereof, the advancement of and use of new technologies for alternative energy sources, CenterPoint Energy’s ability to achieve its generation transition, including its transition to cleaner energy, and the timing thereof, CenterPoint Energy’s ability to continue to modernize its distribution grid, executive management continuity and succession planning, future board composition, corporate governance commitments, strategic plans and value creation, capital investments (including with respect to renewables projects, mobile generation spend and the City of Houston’s Master Energy Plan and Resilient Now), business opportunities, future financial performance and results of operations, renewable energy growth objectives and any other statement that is not historical facts are forward-looking statements. We caution you not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements and that assumptions, beliefs, expectations, intentions and projections about future events may and often do vary materially from actual results. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that actual results will not differ materially from those expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements. 

Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the provided forward-looking information include risks and uncertainties relating to: (1) CenterPoint Energy’s business strategies and strategic initiatives, restructurings, joint ventures and acquisitions or dispositions of assets or businesses, including the completed sale of its Natural Gas businesses in Arkansas and Oklahoma, the exit from midstream and the internal restructuring of certain subsidiaries, which we cannot assure will have the anticipated benefits to CenterPoint Energy; (2) industrial, commercial and residential growth in our service territories and changes in market demand, including the demand for our non-utility products and services and effects of energy efficiency measures and demographic patterns; (3) CenterPoint Energy’s ability to fund and invest planned capital and the timely recovery of CenterPoint Energy’s investments, including those related to Indiana Electric’s generation transition plan as part of its most recent Integrated Resource Plan; (4) CenterPoint Energy’s ability to successfully construct, operate, repair and maintain electric generating facilities, natural gas facilities, mobile generation and electric transmission facilities, including complying with applicable environmental standards and the implementation of a well-balanced energy and resource mix, as appropriate; (5) timely and appropriate rate actions that allow recovery of costs and a reasonable return on investment, including the timing and amount of recovered natural gas costs in some jurisdictions associated with the February 2021 winter storm event and those related to Houston Electric’s mobile generation; (7) future economic conditions in regional and national markets and their effect on sales, prices and costs; (8) weather variations and other natural phenomena, including the impact of severe weather events on operations and capital, such as impacts from the February 2021 winter storm event; (9) increases in commodity prices; (10) volatility in the markets for natural gas as a result of, among other factors, armed conflicts, including the conflict in Ukraine and the related sanctions on certain Russian entities; (11) changes in rates of inflation; (12) continued disruptions to the global supply chain, including tariffs and other legislation impacting the supply chain, that could prevent CenterPoint Energy from securing the resources needed to, among other things, fully execute on its 10-year capital plan or achieve its net zero and carbon emissions reduction goals; (13) non-payment for our services due to financial distress of our customers and the ability of retail electric providers (REPs), including REP affiliates of NRG Energy, Inc. and Vistra Energy Corp., to satisfy their obligations to CenterPoint Energy and Houston Electric, including the negative impact on such ability related to COVID-19 and the February 2021 winter storm event; (14) the COVID-19 pandemic and its continuing effect on CenterPoint Energy’s industries and communities it serves, U.S. and world financial markets and supply chains, and changes in customer and stakeholder behaviors relating thereto; (15) state and federal legislative and regulatory actions or developments affecting various aspects of CenterPoint Energy’s businesses, including, among others, energy deregulation or re-regulation, pipeline integrity and safety and changes in regulation and legislation pertaining to trade, health care, finance and actions regarding the rates charged by our regulated businesses; (16) direct or indirect effects on CenterPoint Energy’s facilities, resources, operations and financial condition resulting from terrorism, cyber attacks or intrusions, including as a result of global conflict such as the conflict in Ukraine, data security breaches or other attempts to disrupt their businesses or the businesses of third parties, or other catastrophic events such as fires, ice, earthquakes, explosions, leaks, floods, droughts, hurricanes, tornadoes and other severe weather events, pandemic health events or other occurrences; (17) the effective tax rate, including as a result of tax legislation, including the effects of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, as well as any changes in tax laws under the current or future administrations, and uncertainties involving state commissions’ and local municipalities’ regulatory requirements and determinations regarding the treatment of excess deferred income taxes and CenterPoint Energy’s rates; (18) CenterPoint Energy’s ability to mitigate weather impacts through normalization or rate mechanisms, and the effectiveness of such mechanisms; (19) actions by credit rating agencies, including any potential downgrades to credit ratings; (20) matters affecting regulatory approval, legislative actions, construction, implementation of necessary technology or other issues with respect to major capital projects that result in delays or cancellation or in cost overruns that cannot be recouped in rates; (21) local, state and federal legislative and regulatory actions or developments relating to the environment, including, among others, those related to global climate change, air emissions, carbon, waste water discharges and the handling and disposal of coal combustion residuals that could impact the operations, cost recovery of generation plant costs and related assets, and CenterPoint Energy’s net zero and carbon emissions reduction goals; (22) the impact of unplanned facility outages or other closures; (23) the sufficiency of CenterPoint Energy’s insurance coverage, including availability, cost, coverage and terms and ability to recover claims; (24) the availability and prices of raw materials and services and changes in labor for current and future construction projects and operations and maintenance costs, including our ability to control such costs; (25) impacts from CenterPoint Energy’s pension and postretirement benefit plans, such as the investment performance and increases to net periodic costs as a result of plan settlements and changes in discount rates; (26) changes in interest rates and their impact on costs of borrowing and the valuation of CenterPoint Energy’s pension benefit obligation; (27) commercial bank and financial market conditions, CenterPoint Energy’s access to capital, the cost of such capital, and the results of CenterPoint Energy’s financing and refinancing efforts, including availability of funds in the debt capital markets; (28) inability of various counterparties to meet their obligations to CenterPoint Energy; (29) the extent and effectiveness of CenterPoint Energy’s risk management activities; (30) timely and appropriate regulatory actions, which include actions allowing securitization, for any future hurricanes or other severe weather events, or natural disasters or other recovery of costs, including stranded coal generation asset costs; (31) acquisition and merger activities involving CenterPoint Energy or its competitors, including the ability to successfully complete merger, acquisition and divestiture plans; (32) CenterPoint Energy’s ability to recruit, effectively transition and retain management and key employees and maintain good labor relations; (33) changes in technology, particularly with respect to efficient battery storage or the emergence or growth of new, developing or alternative sources of generation, and their adoption by consumers; (34) the impact of climate change and alternate energy sources on the demand for natural gas and electricity generated or transmitted by us; (35) the timing and outcome of any audits, disputes and other proceedings related to taxes; (36) the recording of impairment charges; (37) political and economic developments, including energy and environmental policies under the current administration; (38) the transition to a replacement for the LIBOR benchmark interest rate; (39) CenterPoint Energy’s ability to execute on its strategy, initiatives, targets and goals, including its net zero and carbon emissions reduction goals and its operations and maintenance goals; (40) the outcome of litigation, including litigation related to the February 2021 winter storm event; (41) the development of new opportunities and the performance of projects undertaken by Energy Systems Group, which are subject to, among other factors, the level of success in bidding contracts and cancellation and/or reductions in the scope of projects by customers, and obligations related to warranties, guarantees and other contractual and legal obligations; (42) the effect of changes in and application of accounting standards and pronouncements; and (43) other factors discussed in CenterPoint Energy’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2022 and June 30, 2022, and other reports CenterPoint Energy or its subsidiaries may file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. 

This report contains time-sensitive information that is accurate as of August 12, 2022. Some of the information in this report is unaudited and may be subject to change. We undertake no obligation to update the information presented herein, except as required by law. 

Net Zero Disclaimer: Our Scope 1 emissions estimates are calculated from emissions that directly come from our operations. Our Scope 2 emissions estimates are calculated from emissions that indirectly come from our energy usage, but because Texas is in an unregulated market, our Scope 2 estimates do not take into account Texas electric transmission and distribution assets in the line loss calculation and exclude emissions related to purchased power between 2024E-2026E. Our Scope 3 emissions estimates are based on the total natural gas supply delivered to residential and commercial customers as reported in the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) Form EIA-176 reports and do not take into account the emissions of transport customers and emissions related to upstream extraction. While we believe that we have a clear path towards achieving our net zero emissions (Scope 1 and Scope 2) by 2035 goals, our analysis and path forward required us to make a number of assumptions. These goals and underlying assumptions involve risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees. Should one or more of our underlying assumptions prove incorrect, our actual results and ability to achieve net zero emissions by 2035 could differ materially from our expectations. Certain of the assumptions that could impact our ability to meet our net zero emissions goals include, but are not limited to: emission levels, service territory size and capacity needs remaining in line with company expectations (inclusive of changes related to the sale of CenterPoint’s Natural Gas businesses in Arkansas and Oklahoma); regulatory approval of Indiana Electric’s generation transition plan; impacts of future environmental regulations or legislation; impacts of future carbon pricing regulation or legislation, including a future carbon tax; price, availability and regulation of carbon offsets; price of fuel, such as natural gas; cost of energy generation technologies, such as wind and solar, natural gas and storage solutions; adoption of alternative energy by the public, including adoption of electric vehicles; rate of technology innovation with regards to alternative energy resources; CenterPoint’s ability to implement its modernization plans for its pipelines and facilities; the ability to complete and implement generation alternatives to Indiana Electric’s coal generation and retirement dates of Indiana Electric’s coal facilities by 2035; the ability to construct and/or permit new natural gas pipelines; the ability to procure resources needed to build at a reasonable cost, the lack of or scarcity of resources and labor, the lack of any project cancellations, construction delays or overruns and the ability to appropriately estimate costs of new generation; impact of any supply chain disruptions; changes in applicable standards or methodologies; and enhancement of energy efficiencies.