Cover and table of contents
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Cover and table of contents
UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Form 10-K
| (Mark One) | |||||
| ☑ | ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 | ||||
| FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2024 | |||||
| OR | |||||
| ☐ | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 | ||||
| FOR THE TRANSITION PERIOD FROM TO |
| Registrant, State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization | ||||||||||||||
| Commission file number | Address of Principal Executive Offices, Zip Code and Telephone Number | I.R.S. Employer Identification No. | ||||||||||||
| 1-31447 | CenterPoint Energy, Inc. | 74-0694415 | ||||||||||||
| (a Texas corporation) | ||||||||||||||
| 1111 Louisiana | ||||||||||||||
| Houston, | Texas | 77002 | ||||||||||||
| (713) | 207-1111 | |||||||||||||
| 1-3187 | CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric, LLC | 22-3865106 | ||||||||||||
| (a Texas limited liability company) | ||||||||||||||
| 1111 Louisiana | ||||||||||||||
| Houston, | Texas | 77002 | ||||||||||||
| (713) | 207-1111 | |||||||||||||
| 1-13265 | CenterPoint Energy Resources Corp. | 76-0511406 | ||||||||||||
| (a Delaware corporation) | ||||||||||||||
| 1111 Louisiana | ||||||||||||||
| Houston, | Texas | 77002 | ||||||||||||
| (713) | 207-1111 | |||||||||||||
| Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: | |||||||||||
| Registrant | Title of each class | Trading symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered | ||||||||
| CenterPoint Energy, Inc. | Common Stock, $0.01 par value | CNP | New York Stock Exchange | ||||||||
| NYSE Chicago | |||||||||||
| CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric, LLC | 6.95% General Mortgage Bonds due 2033 | n/a | New York Stock Exchange | ||||||||
| CenterPoint Energy Resources Corp. | 6.625% Senior Notes due 2037 | n/a | New York Stock Exchange | ||||||||
| Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: | |||||||||||
| None |
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.
| CenterPoint Energy, Inc. | Yes | þ | No o | |||||||||||
| CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric, LLC | Yes | þ | No o | |||||||||||
| CenterPoint Energy Resources Corp. | Yes | þ | No o |
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.
| CenterPoint Energy, Inc. | Yes o | No | þ | |||||||||||
| CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric, LLC | Yes o | No | þ | |||||||||||
| CenterPoint Energy Resources Corp. | Yes o | No | þ |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
| CenterPoint Energy, Inc. | Yes | þ | No o | |||||||||||
| CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric, LLC | Yes | þ | No o | |||||||||||
| CenterPoint Energy Resources Corp. | Yes | þ | No o |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).
| CenterPoint Energy, Inc. | Yes | þ | No o | |||||||||||
| CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric, LLC | Yes | þ | No o | |||||||||||
| CenterPoint Energy Resources Corp. | Yes | þ | No o |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company”, and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
| Large accelerated filer | Accelerated filer | Non-accelerated filer | Smaller reporting company | Emerging growth company | |||||||||||||
| CenterPoint Energy, Inc. | þ | o | o | ☐ | ☐ | ||||||||||||
| CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric, LLC | o | o | þ | ☐ | ☐ | ||||||||||||
| CenterPoint Energy Resources Corp. | o | o | þ | ☐ | ☐ |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Act. o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☑
If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements.
| CenterPoint Energy, Inc. | o | |||||||
| CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric, LLC | o | |||||||
| CenterPoint Energy Resources Corp. | o |
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b).
| CenterPoint Energy, Inc. | o | |||||||
| CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric, LLC | o | |||||||
| CenterPoint Energy Resources Corp. | o |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).
| CenterPoint Energy, Inc. | Yes | ☐ | No þ | |||||||||||
| CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric, LLC | Yes | ☐ | No þ | |||||||||||
| CenterPoint Energy Resources Corp. | Yes | ☐ | No þ |
The aggregate market values of the voting stock held by non-affiliates of the Registrants as of June 30, 2024 are as follows:
| CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (using the definition of beneficial ownership contained in Rule 13d-3 promulgated pursuant to Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and excluding shares held by directors and executive officers) | $19,797,614,936 | |||||||
| CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric, LLC | None | |||||||
| CenterPoint Energy Resources Corp. | None |
Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuers’ classes of common stock as of February 10, 2025:
| CenterPoint Energy, Inc. | 651,729,244 | shares of common stock outstanding, excluding 166 shares held as treasury stock | ||||||
| CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric, LLC | 1,000 | common shares outstanding, all held by Utility Holding, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CenterPoint Energy, Inc. | ||||||
| CenterPoint Energy Resources Corp. | 1,000 | shares of common stock outstanding, all held by Utility Holding, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CenterPoint Energy, Inc. |
CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric, LLC and CenterPoint Energy Resources Corp. meet the conditions set forth in general instruction I(1)(a) and (b) of Form 10-K and are therefore filing this Form 10-K with the reduced disclosure format specified in General Instruction I(2) of Form 10-K.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Portions of the definitive proxy statement relating to the 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders of CenterPoint Energy, which will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days of December 31, 2024, are incorporated by reference in Item 10, Item 11, Item 12, Item 13 and Item 14 of Part III of this Form 10-K.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
| PART I | ||||||||||||||
| Page | ||||||||||||||
| Item 1. | Business | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Item 1A. | Risk Factors | 18 | ||||||||||||
| Item 1B. | Unresolved Staff Comments | 43 | ||||||||||||
| Item 1C. | Cybersecurity | 43 | ||||||||||||
| Item 2. | Properties | 45 | ||||||||||||
| Item 3. | Legal Proceedings | 48 | ||||||||||||
| Item 4. | Mine Safety Disclosures | 48 | ||||||||||||
| PART II | ||||||||||||||
| Item 5. | Market for Registrants’ Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities | 48 | ||||||||||||
| Item 6. | [Reserved] | 49 | ||||||||||||
| Item 7. | Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations | 49 | ||||||||||||
| Item 7A. | Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk | 88 | ||||||||||||
| Item 8. | Financial Statements and Supplementary Data | 91 | ||||||||||||
| Item 9. | Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure | 181 | ||||||||||||
| Item 9A. | Controls and Procedures | 181 | ||||||||||||
| Item 9B. | Other Information | 184 | ||||||||||||
| Item 9C. | Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections | 184 | ||||||||||||
| PART III | ||||||||||||||
| Item 10. | Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance | 184 | ||||||||||||
| Item 11. | Executive Compensation | 184 | ||||||||||||
| Item 12. | Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters | 184 | ||||||||||||
| Item 13. | Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence | 184 | ||||||||||||
| Item 14. | Principal Accounting Fees and Services | 184 | ||||||||||||
| PART IV | ||||||||||||||
| Item 15. | Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules | 186 | ||||||||||||
| Item 16. | Form 10-K Summary | 186 |
i
| GLOSSARY | ||||||||
| AFUDC | Allowance for funds used during construction | |||||||
| AGC | Alcoa Generating Corporation, a subsidiary of Alcoa, Inc. | |||||||
| AI | Artificial intelligence | |||||||
| ALJ | Administrative Law Judge | |||||||
| AMAs | Asset Management Agreements | |||||||
| AMS | Advanced Metering System | |||||||
| Arevon | Arevon Energy, Inc., which was formed through the combination of Capital Dynamics, Inc.’s U.S. Clean Energy Infrastructure business unit and Arevon Asset Management | |||||||
| ARO | Asset retirement obligation | |||||||
| AROK Asset Purchase Agreement | Asset Purchase Agreement, dated as of April 29, 2021, by and between CERC Corp. and Southern Col Midco, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and an affiliate of Summit Utilities, Inc. | |||||||
| ARP | Alternative revenue program | |||||||
| ASC | Accounting Standards Codification | |||||||
| ASU | Accounting Standards Update | |||||||
| AT&T Common | AT&T Inc. common stock | |||||||
| ATM Forward Purchasers | Bank of America, N.A., Barclays Bank PLC, Citibank, N.A., Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association, Mizuho Markets Americas LLC, MUFG Securities EMEA plc and Royal Bank of Canada | |||||||
| ATM Forward Sellers | BofA Securities, Inc. Barclays Capital Inc., Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Mizuho Securities USA LLC, MUFG Securities Americas Inc. and RBC Capital Markets, LLC | |||||||
| ATM Managers | BofA Securities, Inc., Barclays Capital Inc., Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Mizuho Securities USA LLC, MUFG Securities Americas Inc. and RBC Capital Markets, LLC | |||||||
| August Junior Subordinated Notes | Junior Subordinated Series A Notes and Junior Subordinated Series B Notes | |||||||
| Bcf | Billion cubic feet | |||||||
| Board | CenterPoint Energy’s Board of Directors | |||||||
| Bond Companies | Bond Company IV and Restoration Bond Company, each a wholly-owned, bankruptcy remote entity formed solely for the purpose of purchasing and owning transition or system restoration property through the issuance of Securitization Bonds | |||||||
| Bond Company IV | CenterPoint Energy Transition Bond Company IV, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Houston Electric | |||||||
| BTA | Build Transfer Agreement | |||||||
| CAMT | Corporate Alternative Minimum Tax | |||||||
| CARES Act | Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act | |||||||
| CCN | Certificate of Convenience and Necessity | |||||||
| CCR | Coal Combustion Residuals | |||||||
| CECA | Clean Energy Cost Adjustment | |||||||
| CEIP | CenterPoint Energy Intrastate Pipelines, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CERC Corp. | |||||||
| CenterPoint Energy | CenterPoint Energy, Inc., and its subsidiaries | |||||||
| CenterPoint Energy Credit Agreement | Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated December 6, 2022, by and among CenterPoint Energy, as borrower, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as administrative agent, the financial institutions as bank parties thereto and the other parties thereto. | |||||||
| CenterPoint Energy Extension Agreement | Extension Agreement to the CenterPoint Energy Credit Agreement, dated January 29, 2025, by and among CenterPoint Energy, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as administrative agent, and the banks party thereto | |||||||
| CEOH | Vectren Energy Delivery of Ohio, LLC, doing business as CenterPoint Energy Ohio, which converted its corporate structure from Vectren Energy Delivery of Ohio, Inc. to an Ohio limited liability company on June 13, 2022, formerly a wholly-owned subsidiary of Vectren, acquired by CERC on June 30, 2022 | |||||||
| CEP | Capital Expenditure Program | |||||||
| CERC | CERC Corp., together with its subsidiaries | |||||||
| CERC Credit Agreement | Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated December 6, 2022, by and among CERC, as borrower, Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as administrative agent, the financial institutions as bank parties thereto and the other parties thereto |
ii
| GLOSSARY | ||||||||
| CERC Extension Agreement | Extension Agreement to the CERC Credit Agreement, dated January 29, 2025, by and among CERC, Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as administrative agent, and the banks party thereto | |||||||
| CERC Corp. | CenterPoint Energy Resources Corp. | |||||||
| CERCLA | Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980, as amended | |||||||
| Change in Control Plan | CenterPoint Energy Change in Control Plan (as amended and restated effective May 1, 2017) | |||||||
| Charter Common | Charter Communications, Inc. common stock | |||||||
| CIP | Conservation Improvement Program | |||||||
| CNP Midstream | CenterPoint Energy Midstream, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of CenterPoint Energy | |||||||
| Code | The Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended | |||||||
| CODM | Chief Operating Decision Maker | |||||||
| Common Stock | CenterPoint Energy, Inc. common stock, par value $0.01 per share | |||||||
| Convertible Notes | CenterPoint Energy’s 4.25% Convertible Senior Notes due 2026 | |||||||
| Convertible Notes Indenture | Indenture dated as of August 4, 2023 by and between CenterPoint Energy and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, National Association, as trustee, as supplemented | |||||||
| COVID-19 | Novel coronavirus disease 2019, and any mutations or variants thereof, and related global outbreak that was subsequently declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization | |||||||
| CPCN | Certificate of public convenience and necessity | |||||||
| COVID-19 ERP | COVID-19 Electricity Relief Program | |||||||
| Credit Agreements | The CenterPoint Energy Credit Agreement, Houston Electric Credit Agreement, CERC Credit Agreement and SIGECO Credit Agreement | |||||||
| CSIA | Compliance and System Improvement Adjustment | |||||||
| DA | Distribution Automation | |||||||
| DCRF | Distribution Cost Recovery Factor | |||||||
| DOC | U.S. Department of Commerce | |||||||
| DOT | U.S. Department of Transportation | |||||||
| DRR | Distribution Replacement Rider | |||||||
| DSMA | Demand Side Management Adjustment | |||||||
| Dth | Dekatherms | |||||||
| ECA | Environmental Cost Adjustment | |||||||
| EDF Renewables | EDF Renewables Development, Inc. | |||||||
| EDIT | Excess deferred income taxes | |||||||
| EECR | Energy Efficiency Cost Recovery | |||||||
| EECRF | Energy Efficiency Cost Recovery Factor | |||||||
| EEFC | Energy Efficiency Funding Component | |||||||
| EEFR | Energy Efficiency Funding Rider | |||||||
| ELG | Effluent Limitation Guidelines | |||||||
| EIA | U.S. Energy Information Administration | |||||||
| Energy Systems Group | Energy Systems Group, LLC, previously a wholly-owned subsidiary of Vectren | |||||||
| Energy Transfer | Energy Transfer LP, a Delaware limited partnership | |||||||
| Energy Transfer Common Units | Energy Transfer common units, representing limited partner interests in Energy Transfer | |||||||
| Energy Transfer GP | LE GP, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and sole general partner of Energy Transfer | |||||||
| Energy Transfer Series G Preferred Units | Energy Transfer Series G Fixed-Rate Reset Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Units, representing limited partner interests in Energy Transfer | |||||||
| EPA | Environmental Protection Agency | |||||||
| EPC | Engineering, Procurement and Construction | |||||||
| Equity Distribution Agreement | Equity Distribution Agreement, dated as of January 10, 2024, by and between CenterPoint Energy, the ATM Managers, the ATM Forward Purchasers and the ATM Forward Sellers | |||||||
| Equity Purchase Agreement | Equity Purchase Agreement, dated as of May 21, 2023, by and between Vectren Energy Services and ESG Holdings Group |
iii
| GLOSSARY | ||||||||
| ERCOT | Electric Reliability Council of Texas | |||||||
| ERCOT ISO | ERCOT Independent System Operator | |||||||
| ERISA | Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 | |||||||
| ERO | Electric Reliability Organization | |||||||
| ESG Holdings Group | ESG Holdings Group, LLC a Delaware limited liability company, and an affiliate of Oaktree Capital Management | |||||||
| ESPC | Energy Savings Performance Contract | |||||||
| Exchange Act | The Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended | |||||||
| Extension Agreements | The CenterPoint Energy Extension Agreement, Houston Electric Extension Agreement, CERC Extension Agreement and SIGECO Extension Agreement | |||||||
| FAC | Fuel Adjustment Clause | |||||||
| FASB | Financial Accounting Standards Board | |||||||
| February 2021 Winter Storm Event | The extreme and unprecedented winter weather event in February 2021 (also known as Winter Storm Uri) resulting in electricity generation supply shortages, including in Texas, and natural gas supply shortages and increased wholesale prices of natural gas in the United States, primarily due to prolonged freezing temperatures. | |||||||
| FERC | Federal Energy Regulatory Commission | |||||||
| Fitch | Fitch Ratings, Inc. | |||||||
| Form 10-K | Annual Report on Form 10-K | |||||||
| FPA | Federal Power Act | |||||||
| GAAP | Generally Accepted Accounting Principles | |||||||
| General Mortgage | General Mortgage Indenture, dated as of October 10, 2002, between CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric, LLC and JPMorgan Chase Bank, as Trustee, as supplemented from time to time | |||||||
| GHG | Greenhouse gases | |||||||
| GHRI | The Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative, which was announced by Houston Electric in August 2024 and includes targeted actions to improve the resiliency of Houston Electric’s electric grid, as well as improve customer communications and community partnerships | |||||||
| GRIP | Gas Reliability Infrastructure Program | |||||||
| GWh | Gigawatt-hours | |||||||
| HLPSA | Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Safety Act of 1979 | |||||||
| Houston Electric | CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric, LLC and its subsidiaries | |||||||
| Houston Electric Credit Agreement | Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated December 6, 2022, by and among Houston Electric, as borrower, Mizuho Bank, Ltd., as administrative agent, the financial institutions as bank parties thereto and the other parties thereto | |||||||
| Houston Electric Extension Agreement | Extension Agreement to the Houston Electric Credit Agreement, dated January 29, 2025, by and among Houston Electric, Mizuho Bank, Ltd., as administrative agent, and the banks party thereto | |||||||
| Hurricane Beryl | The powerful and destructive storm that made landfall in Texas on July 8, 2024 and caused widespread damage to Houston Electric’s electric delivery system | |||||||
| HVAC | Heating, ventilation and air conditioning | |||||||
| IAS | International Accounting Standards | |||||||
| IBEW | International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers | |||||||
| ICPA | Inter-Company Power Agreement | |||||||
| IDEM | Indiana Department of Environmental Management | |||||||
| IG | Intelligent Grid | |||||||
| Indiana Electric | Operations of SIGECO’s electric transmission and distribution services, and includes its power generating and wholesale power operations | |||||||
| Indiana Gas | Indiana Gas Company, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of CERC Corp. | |||||||
| Indiana North | Gas operations of Indiana Gas | |||||||
| Indiana South | Gas operations of SIGECO | |||||||
| Indiana Utilities | Indiana Electric, Indiana North and Indiana South, collectively | |||||||
| Infrastructure Services | Provided underground pipeline construction and repair services through VISCO and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Miller Pipeline, LLC and Minnesota Limited, LLC | |||||||
| IRA | Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 |
iv
| GLOSSARY | ||||||||
| IRP | Integrated Resource Plan | |||||||
| IRS | Internal Revenue Service | |||||||
| IURC | Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission | |||||||
| Junior Subordinated Notes | Junior Subordinated Series A Notes, Junior Subordinated Series B Notes and Junior Subordinated Series C Notes | |||||||
| Junior Subordinated Notes Indenture | Junior Subordinated Indenture, dated as of August 14, 2024, between CenterPoint Energy and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, National Association, as trustee, as supplemented | |||||||
| Junior Subordinated Series A Interest Reset Period | Each five-year period following February 15, 2030 | |||||||
| Junior Subordinated Series A Notes | 7.000% Fixed-to-Fixed Reset Rate Junior Subordinated Notes, Series A, due 2055 | |||||||
| Junior Subordinated Series B Interest Reset Period | Each five-year period following February 15, 2035 | |||||||
| Junior Subordinated Series B Notes | 6.850% Fixed-to-Fixed Reset Rate Junior Subordinated Notes, Series B, due 2055 | |||||||
| Junior Subordinated Series C Interest Reset Period | Each five-year period following May 15, 2030 | |||||||
| Junior Subordinated Series C Notes | 6.700% Fixed-to-Fixed Reset Rate Junior Subordinated Notes, Series C, due 2055 | |||||||
| kV | Kilovolt | |||||||
| LAMS Asset Purchase Agreement | Asset Purchase Agreement, dated as of February 19, 2024, by and among CERC Corp. and the LAMS Buyers | |||||||
| LAMS Buyers | Delta North Louisiana Gas Company, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, Delta South Louisiana Gas Company, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, Delta Mississippi Gas Company, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, and Delta Energy Resources, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company | |||||||
| LDC | Local Distribution Company | |||||||
| LIBOR | London Interbank Offered Rate | |||||||
| LNG | Liquefied natural gas | |||||||
| Load Shed | Curtailing the amount of electricity a TDU can transmit and distribute to its customers | |||||||
| LPSC | Louisiana Public Service Commission | |||||||
| LTIPs | Long-term incentive plans | |||||||
| May 2024 Storm Events | The sudden and destructive severe weather events in May 2024 that included hurricane-like winds and tornadoes and resulted in widespread damage to Houston Electric’s electric delivery system | |||||||
| MCRA | MISO Cost and Revenue Adjustment | |||||||
| M&DOT | Mortgage and Deed of Trust, dated November 1, 1944, between Houston Lighting and Power Company and Chase Bank of Texas, National Association (formerly, South Texas Commercial National Bank of Houston), as Trustee, as amended and supplemented | |||||||
| MGP | Manufactured gas plant | |||||||
| MISO | Midcontinent Independent System Operator | |||||||
| MMBtu | One million British thermal units | |||||||
| MMcf | Million cubic feet | |||||||
| Moody’s | Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. | |||||||
| MP2017 | 2017 pension mortality improvement scale developed annually by the Society of Actuaries | |||||||
| MP2018 | 2018 pension mortality improvement scale developed annually by the Society of Actuaries | |||||||
| MP2019 | 2019 pension mortality improvement scale developed annually by the Society of Actuaries | |||||||
| MPSC | Mississippi Public Service Commission | |||||||
| MPUC | Minnesota Public Utilities Commission | |||||||
| Mva | Megavolt amperes | |||||||
| MW | Megawatts | |||||||
| NAV | Net asset value | |||||||
| Natural Gas | Natural gas distribution businesses | |||||||
| NECA | National Electrical Contractors Association | |||||||
| NERC | North American Electric Reliability Corporation | |||||||
| NGA | Natural Gas Act of 1938 | |||||||
| NGLs | Natural gas liquids |
v
| GLOSSARY | ||||||||
| NGPA | Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978 | |||||||
| NGPSA | Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act of 1968 | |||||||
| NOLs | Net operating losses | |||||||
| NRG | NRG Energy, Inc. | |||||||
| NYSE | New York Stock Exchange | |||||||
| OPEIU | Office & Professional Employees International Union | |||||||
| Oriden | Oriden LLC | |||||||
| Origis | Origis Energy USA Inc. | |||||||
| OUCC | Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor | |||||||
| OVEC | Ohio Valley Electric Corporation | |||||||
| PHMSA | Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration | |||||||
| PIPES Act | Protecting Our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety Act of 2020 | |||||||
| Posey Solar | Posey Solar, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company | |||||||
| PPA | Power purchase agreement | |||||||
| PRPs | Potentially responsible parties | |||||||
| PTCs | Production Tax Credits | |||||||
| PUCO | Public Utilities Commission of Ohio | |||||||
| PUCT | Public Utility Commission of Texas | |||||||
| Railroad Commission | Railroad Commission of Texas | |||||||
| RCRA | Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 | |||||||
| Registrants | CenterPoint Energy, Inc., CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric, LLC and CenterPoint Energy Resources Corp., collectively | |||||||
| Reliant Energy | Reliant Energy, Incorporated | |||||||
| REP | Retail electric provider | |||||||
| Restoration Bond Company | CenterPoint Energy Restoration Bond Company, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Houston Electric | |||||||
| Restructuring | CERC Corp.’s common control acquisition of Indiana Gas and VEDO from VUH on June 30, 2022 | |||||||
| ROE | Return on equity | |||||||
| ROU | Right of use | |||||||
| RRA | Rate Regulation Adjustment | |||||||
| RSP | Rate Stabilization Plan | |||||||
| S&P | S&P Global Ratings, a division of S&P Global Inc. | |||||||
| Scope 1 emissions | Direct source of GHG emissions from a company’s operations | |||||||
| Scope 2 emissions | Indirect source of GHG emissions from a company’s energy usage | |||||||
| Scope 3 emissions | Indirect source of GHG emissions from a company’s end-users | |||||||
| SEC | Securities and Exchange Commission | |||||||
| Securitization Bonds | Transition and system restoration bonds issued by the Bond Companies and SIGECO Securitization Bonds issued by the SIGECO Securitization Subsidiary | |||||||
| Series A Preferred Stock | CenterPoint Energy’s previously outstanding Series A Fixed-to-Floating Rate Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share, with a liquidation preference of $1,000 per share | |||||||
| SIGECO | Southern Indiana Gas and Electric Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Vectren | |||||||
| SIGECO Credit Agreement | Credit Agreement, dated as of December 6, 2022, by and among SIGECO, as borrower, Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as administrative agent, the financial institutions as banks parties thereto and the other parties thereto | |||||||
| SIGECO Extension Agreement | Extension Agreement to the SIGECO Credit Agreement, dated as of January 29, 2025, by and among SIGECO, Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as administrative agent and the banks party thereto | |||||||
| SIGECO Securitization Bonds | SIGECO Securitization Subsidiary’s Series 2023-A Senior Secured Securitization Bonds | |||||||
| SIGECO Securitization Subsidiary | SIGECO Securitization I, LLC, a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of SIGECO | |||||||
| SOFR | Secured Overnight Financing Rate |
vi
| GLOSSARY | ||||||||
| SRC | Sales Reconciliation Component | |||||||
| SRP | The transmission and distribution system resiliency plan filed by Houston Electric with the PUCT on January 31, 2025, which proposes investing approximately $5.75 billion over a three-year period for transmission and distribution infrastructure, information technology and cybersecurity assets and event response capability | |||||||
| TBD | To be determined | |||||||
| TCA | Texas Consumer Association | |||||||
| TCJA | Tax reform legislation informally called the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 | |||||||
| TCOS | Transmission Cost of Service | |||||||
| TCRF | Transmission Cost Recovery Factor | |||||||
| TDSIC | Transmission, Distribution and Storage System Improvement Charge | |||||||
| TDU | Transmission and distribution utility | |||||||
| TEEEF | Assets leased or costs incurred as “temporary emergency electric energy facilities” under Section 39.918 of the Public Utility Regulatory Act, also referred to as temporary generation | |||||||
| Texas RE | Texas Reliability Entity | |||||||
| TSA | Transportation Security Administration | |||||||
| USW | United Steelworkers Union | |||||||
| UWUA | Utility Workers Union of America | |||||||
| Utility Holding | Utility Holding, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CenterPoint Energy | |||||||
| Vectren | Vectren, LLC, which converted its corporate structure from Vectren Corporation to a limited liability company on June 30, 2022, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CenterPoint Energy as of February 1, 2019, and, after the Restructuring, is held indirectly by CenterPoint Energy through Vectren Affiliated Utilities, Inc. | |||||||
| Vectren Energy Services | Vectren Energy Services Corporation, an Indiana corporation and a wholly-owned subsidiary of CenterPoint Energy | |||||||
| VEDO | Vectren Energy Delivery of Ohio, LLC, which converted its corporate structure from Vectren Energy Delivery of Ohio, Inc. to a limited liability company on June 13, 2022, formerly a wholly-owned subsidiary of Vectren, acquired by CERC on June 30, 2022 | |||||||
| VIE | Variable interest entity | |||||||
| VISCO | Vectren Infrastructure Services Corporation, formerly a wholly-owned subsidiary of Vectren | |||||||
| Vistra Energy Corp. | Texas-based energy company focused on the competitive energy and power generation markets. | |||||||
| VRP | Voluntary Remediation Program | |||||||
| VUH | Vectren Utility Holdings, LLC, which converted its corporate structure from Vectren Utility Holdings, Inc. to a limited liability company on June 30, 2022, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Vectren | |||||||
| WBD Common | Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. Series A common stock | |||||||
| Winter Storm Elliott | From December 21 to 26, 2022, a historic extratropical cyclone created winter storm conditions, including blizzards, high winds, snowfall and record cold temperatures across the majority of the United States and parts of Canada. | |||||||
| ZENS | 2.0% Zero-Premium Exchangeable Subordinated Notes due 2029 | |||||||
| ZENS-Related Securities | As of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, consisted of AT&T Common, Charter Common and WBD Common | |||||||
| 2023 Form 10-K | Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 | |||||||
| 2022 Annuity Purchase | The irrevocable group annuity contract purchased in December 2022 from an insurance company to transfer $138 million of CenterPoint Energy’s pension plan’s outstanding benefit obligation |
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CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION
From time to time the Registrants make statements concerning their expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance and 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. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these statements. You can generally identify 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 Registrants have based their forward-looking statements on management’s beliefs and assumptions based on information reasonably available to management at the time the statements are made. The Registrants caution you that assumptions, beliefs, expectations, intentions and projections about future events may and often do vary materially from actual results. Therefore, the Registrants cannot assure you that actual results will not differ materially from those expressed or implied by the Registrants’ forward-looking statements. In this Form 10-K, unless context requires otherwise, the terms “our,” “we” and “us” are used as abbreviated references to CenterPoint Energy, Inc. together with its consolidated subsidiaries, including Houston Electric, CERC and SIGECO.
Some of the factors that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed or implied by the Registrants’ forward-looking statements are described under “Risk Factors” in Item 1A and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Certain Factors Affecting Future Earnings” and “ — Liquidity and Capital Resources — Other Matters — Other Factors That Could Affect Cash Requirements” in Item 7 of Part II of this report, which discussions are incorporated herein by reference.
You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of the particular statement, and the Registrants undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements.
SUMMARY OF RISK FACTORS
An investment in CenterPoint Energy’s securities involves a significant degree of risk. Below is a summary of certain risk factors to consider in evaluating CenterPoint Energy as well as its Common Stock. However, this list is not exhaustive. Before investing in CenterPoint Energy, carefully consider the risk factors discussed or referenced below and in Item 1A. “Risk Factors” of this combined report on Form 10-K. If any of the risks discussed below and in Item 1A. “Risk Factors” were actually to occur, CenterPoint Energy’s, Houston Electric’s and CERC’s business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows could be adversely affected. In that case, CenterPoint Energy might not be able to pay dividends on its Common Stock, or the trading price of its Common Stock could decline.
Risk Factors Affecting Operations
Electric Generation, Transmission and Distribution (CenterPoint Energy and Houston Electric)
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Disruptions at power generation facilities, generation inadequacy or directives issued by regulatory authorities could cause interruptions in Houston Electric’s and Indiana Electric’s ability to provide transmission and distribution services and adversely affect their reputation, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
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Indiana Electric’s execution of its generation transition plan, including its IRP, is subject to various risks, including timely recovery of capital investments and increased costs and risks related to the timing and cost of development and/or construction of new generation facilities.
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Houston Electric’s receivables are primarily concentrated in a small number of REPs, and any delay or default in payments of these receivables could adversely affect Houston Electric’s financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
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Houston Electric’s use of TEEEF is subject to various risks, including failure to obtain and deploy sufficient TEEEF resources, potential performance issues and allegations about Houston Electric’s procurement and deployment of the resources (including the planning, execution and effectiveness of the same), regulatory and environmental requirements, and timely recovery of capital.
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The occurrence of extreme weather events, including winter storms and record hot temperatures, or other causes could lead to additional reforms to the Texas electric market, some measure of which, if implemented, could have an adverse impact on Houston Electric.
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Natural Gas (CenterPoint Energy and CERC)
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Access to natural gas supplies and pipeline transmission and storage capacity are essential components of reliable service for Natural Gas’ customers.
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Natural Gas is subject to fluctuations in natural gas prices, which could affect the ability of its suppliers and customers to meet their obligations or may impact its operations, which could adversely affect CERC’s financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
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Natural Gas must compete with alternate energy sources, which could result in less natural gas delivered and have an adverse impact on CenterPoint Energy’s and CERC’s financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Risk Factors Affecting Regulatory, Environmental and Legal Risks
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Rate regulation of Registrants’ Electric and Natural Gas businesses may delay or deny their ability to earn an expected return and fully and timely recover their costs.
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We are involved in numerous legal proceedings, the outcomes of which are uncertain, and resolutions adverse to us could negatively affect our financial results.
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Negative opinions of CenterPoint Energy from customers, investors, legislators, regulators and creditors relating to actual or perceived system reliability, the speed of our response to service interruptions, rates, our ability to successfully execute our capital plan, media coverage and actions by third parties, could harm our reputation and have an adverse impact on our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition. For example, Hurricane Beryl caused severe disruptions to our operations, customers and markets in certain of our service territories and potential results arising from governmental and regulatory inquiries and investigations, as well as associated litigation, could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and liquidity.
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We are subject to operational and financial risks and liabilities arising from environmental laws and regulations, including regulation of CCR, climate change legislation and certain local initiatives that seek to limit fossil fuel usage.
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CenterPoint Energy is subject to operational and financial risks and liabilities associated with its sustainability and related activities, including the implementation of and efforts to achieve its GHG emissions reduction goals.
Risk Factors Affecting Financial, Economic and Market Risks
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Disruptions to the global supply chain may lead to higher prices for goods and services and impact our operations, which could have an adverse impact on our ability to execute our capital plan and on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
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If we are unable to arrange future financings on acceptable terms, our ability to finance our capital expenditures or refinance outstanding indebtedness could be limited.
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CenterPoint Energy is a holding company that derives all of its operating income from, and holds substantially all of its assets through, its subsidiaries. As a result, CenterPoint Energy depends on the performance of and distributions from its subsidiaries to meet its payment obligations and to pay dividends on its common stock, and provisions of applicable law or contractual restrictions could limit the amount of those distributions.
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If CenterPoint Energy redeems the ZENS prior to their maturity in 2029, its ultimate tax liability and redemption payments would result in significant cash payments, which would adversely impact its cash flows and liquidity. Similarly, a significant amount of exchanges of ZENS by ZENS holders could adversely impact CenterPoint Energy’s cash flows and liquidity.
Risk Factors Affecting Safety and Security Risks
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The Registrants’ businesses have safety risks.
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Cyberattacks, physical security breaches, acts of terrorism or other disruptions could adversely impact our reputation, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
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We may not be successful in our adoption, development and deployment of AI, which could adversely affect our business, reputation or financial results.
General and Other Risks
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Our revenues and results of operations are seasonal.
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Climate change and other weather and natural disaster impacts could adversely impact financial results from our businesses and our results of operations.
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We are exposed to risks related to changes in demand and energy consumption that could adversely impact financial results from our businesses and our results of operations.
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Aging infrastructure may lead to increased costs and disruptions in operations that could negatively impact our financial results.
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Our businesses will continue to have to adapt to technological change and may not be successful or may have to incur significant expenditures to adapt to technological change.
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PART I