HOUSTON, Dec. 13, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- More than 75 CenterPoint Energy linemen and support personnel, as well as numerous tree trimming contractors from Houston continue to work in the Tulsa area assisting Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO) restore power to hundreds of thousands without power due to a major winter storm.
The Texas Gulf Coast CenterPoint Energy crews departed Houston on Monday and arrived in Tulsa on Tuesday. According to Thomas P. Klesel, CenterPoint Energy operations supervisor, "We have been working 12-16 hour days removing toppled trees and tree limbs off power lines, replacing downed power poles, power lines and transformers and restoring power. It's gratifying to see the lights and heat coming back on."
Coming to the aid of other utilities is nothing new to CenterPoint Energy line crews. The company partners with other utilities in mutual assistance agreements to lend a hand to each other if requested during widespread outage emergencies such as hurricanes or ice storms. Over the years, CenterPoint Energy crews have restored power to hundreds of thousands of customers across the country that have been left in the dark following severe weather.
CenterPoint Energy, Inc., headquartered in Houston, Texas, is a domestic energy delivery company that includes electric transmission & distribution, natural gas distribution, competitive natural gas sales and services, interstate pipelines and field services operations. The company serves more than five million metered customers primarily in Arkansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas. Assets total over $17 billion. With about 8,600 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 130 years. For more information, visit the Web site at www.CenterPointEnergy.com.
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