Texas state senator proposes bill refunding Houstonians for unused CenterPoint generators

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State Sen. Phil King, R-Weatherford, introduced legislation aimed at providing refunds to Houston residents for charges related to CenterPoint Energy's leasing of generators following Hurricane Beryl. The bill, SB 231, would require generators leased by utilities to be fully mobile for rapid deployment during emergencies, with the Public Utility Commission of Texas tasked to review existing leases for compliance, potentially disallowing costs to be passed onto consumers.

King's proposed bill comes in response to revelations that CenterPoint Energy's $800 million generator lease, which included unused generators that were marketed as mobile, resulted in additional costs for customers. Despite claims by CenterPoint that the large generators were for rare grid emergencies, critics, including King, have called for the utility to cover its own generator costs and refund customers. Lawmakers have scrutinized the competitive nature of CenterPoint's generator acquisition process, with King's prior legislation favoring utility interests coming under increased scrutiny ahead of the upcoming Texas Legislature session in 2025.