Employees Transition to Work Focused on Growth, Infrastructure, Resilience and a Clean Energy Future
Just Transition
As CenterPoint Energy begins its preparation to retire our coal-fired power plants and transition our generation fleet to renewable resources in the years to come, new opportunities for affected workers will emerge.
Existing skills will be in demand in new places, while new skills will be in demand companywide. Employees will be provided with opportunities, including the training needed to perform new jobs safely, and remain a well-compensated, agile workforce.
Growth and Economic Development Will Require Workers Who Can:
- Expand our overhead transmission lines – about 400 miles of new transmission lines will be needed by 2030,
- Upgrade our transmission capacity – about 600 miles of upgraded transmission capacity will be needed by 2030,
- Upgrade more than 2,200 miles of distribution lines,
- Upgrade 210 substations by 2030,
- Construct 32 new substations by 2030, and
- Install more than 2,000 miles of new overhead distribution lines and more than 6,000 miles of new underground distribution lines.
Infrastructure Resiliency Will Require Workers Who Can:
- Harden our transmission, substations and distribution grids, as well as modernize our infrastructure,
- Implement new distribution grid resiliency and reliability design criteria,
- Expand intelligent grid and smart metering technologies for faster outage resolution, and
- Advance digital solutions for operational resiliency.
A Clean Energy Future Will Require Workers Who Can:
- CenterPoint Energy established an ESG Council to identify, evaluate and recommend strategic directions and
- Construct, operate and maintain renewable energy generation facilities and renewable natural gas and hydrogen facilities.
Workforce development initiatives will help to prepare Houston’s workforce to respond to the energy needs of the future.
CenterPoint Energy is developing new training centers and training opportunities to enhance employees’ safety development. The company is also partnering with the Center for Energy Workforce Development, which is a nonprofit consortium of energy companies, contractors, associations – including the Edison Electric Institute and the American Gas Association, unions, educators and business partners to train and reposition workers displaced by the closing of coal-fired power plants.