CenterPoint Energy is focused on responsibly reducing methane emissions related to our natural gas operations to help achieve our Scope 1 Net Zero by 2035 goal. We are also working to help our residential and commercial customers reduce GHG emissions attributable to their use of natural gas as part of our goal to achieve a 20-30% reduction in Scope 3 end-use GHG emissions by 2035, from a 2021 baseline. Our approach aligns with the U.S. commitments made at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties in Glasgow to reduce global methane emissions by 30% by 2030.

Investments for Future State
In our Natural Gas Business, over 4.3 million homes and businesses we serve across our six-state service territory continue to choose natural gas as a preferred source of energy, and we remain dedicated to our capital investment strategy for safety, reliability and growth. Our current capital investment plan of $16 billion through 2030 prioritizes providing safer and more reliable services to our customers through innovative technology, pipeline modernization and sustainability efforts.
CenterPoint Energy’s Innovation Plan
In Minnesota, CenterPoint Energy is the largest natural gas utility, serving the energy needs of more than 900,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in over 260 communities. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, more than two-thirds of Minnesota households depend on natural gas for heating, as do many businesses and industries in the state.
In July 2024, our five-year innovation plan was approved by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. The plan allows us to implement a diverse set of innovative pilot projects that aim to reduce GHGs and advance decarbonization efforts for our Minnesota customers. It includes projects to promote low and zero-carbon gases like renewable natural gas (RNG) and green hydrogen, as well as emerging technologies such as networked geothermal systems and onsite carbon capture.
The plan was submitted under the Natural Gas Innovation Act (NGIA), a landmark state energy law that passed with bipartisan support in 2021. The NGIA created a new regulatory framework for natural gas utilities to invest in renewable energy resources and innovative technologies in Minnesota.
Our innovation plan is expected to deliver significant benefits to Minnesota, including:
- Reducing an estimated 1.2 million tons of carbon emissions over the lifetime of the projects
- Creating an estimated 3,000* full-time equivalent jobs over the lifetime of the projects
- Leveraging $17 million or more in federal clean energy incentives and support for Minnesota
Investing in made-in-Minnesota carbon negative, zero- and low-carbon gas alternatives
RNG is produced by capturing and recycling organic waste materials from farms, food waste, wastewater treatment facilities and other sources to produce pipeline-quality gas. We plan to purchase RNG to help offset GHG emissions attributed to energy used by customers.
Tapping Minnesota-made RNG

Green hydrogen is produced by splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen using renewable electricity and can be blended into our natural gas supply or used directly in a dedicated system with an industrial or large commercial customer. Our green hydrogen production facility pilot project has been in operation in Minneapolis since 2022. Our innovation plan includes developing a second green-hydrogen production facility that will use onsite solar panels and include a hydrogen storage system at a company-owned property near Mankato, Minnesota.

Networked Geothermal System
We plan to develop a networked geothermal system to provide building heating and cooling to a neighborhood currently served by our utility. A geothermal system uses a network of wells, water, pipes and pumps to pull heat out of the ground to deliver warmth to buildings in winter and to pump heat from those buildings back into the ground to provide cooling in summer. We will offer incentives available for large customers to partially offset costs to install and operate their own networked geothermal system.
Hybrid Heating
The NGIA includes incentives for home and business customers to install hybrid heating systems that use electric heat pumps with supplemental natural gas for the coldest weather with the goal of reducing customer energy costs and maintaining energy efficiency.
Industrial Decarbonization
We plan to offer incentives and other support to industrial customers intended to improve efficiency and reduce emissions for high-heat processes, such as glassmaking, concrete production and metal foundries. Technologies that could be leveraged depend on the type of business and may include electric heat pumps, onsite carbon capture, installing onsite green hydrogen production facilities and updating boilers to use up to 100% green hydrogen.
Carbon Reduction Technologies
Across our natural gas service territory, CenterPoint Energy is leveraging innovative technology in an effort to reduce emissions and lower the carbon intensity of the energy we deliver to our customers.
We operate the world’s second largest fleet of state-of-the-art Picarro Surveyor™ leak survey technology, which is far more sensitive and faster at locating methane leaks than traditional methods.
We employ ZEVAC® (Zero Emission Vacuum and Compressor), an innovative technology that uses compressed air to suction a pipeline segment, transferring the gas to an adjacent pipeline so it is not released into the atmosphere.

CenterPoint Energy and Radisson Blu Mall of America, part of Choice Hotels International, announced the groundbreaking installation of a carbon capture technology unit, CarbinX™, developed by CleanO2 to capture GHG emissions from heating equipment. We are deploying the CarbinX™ technology in a pilot program with 10 of our commercial customers in Minnesota. Additional installations are being proposed as part of our innovation plan under the NGIA.

Modernizing Our Pipeline
We are continuing to upgrade pipelines across our service territory as part of our efforts to further reduce methane emissions and enhance safety. We are actively working to eliminate the last remaining known cast-iron pipe, which is in our Indiana and Ohio system, by 2026. Overall, we anticipate reducing methane emissions by approximately 33% by 2035 as a result of our modernization efforts and methane-reduction technologies.
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*As calculated using the IMPLAN model. Measured in terms of full-time equivalent (“FTE”) jobs or the work that can be performed by one person in one year. This includes jobs directly related to the pilots, upstream indirect jobs created in the supply chain, and downstream induced jobs created in local industries due to increased consumption expenditures associated with direct and indirect jobs.