CenterPoint Energy released the findings of a new, third-party economic impact study of Texas transmission projects by IdeaSmiths, an independent energy systems analysis and advisory firm.
The report, Economic Impacts of 765kV Transmission Development in Support of Texas and Houston-Area Reliability, finds that the proposed resiliency and reliability transmission projects in Southeast Texas have the potential to deliver significant levels of economic benefits for Texas families, small businesses and local communities, including adding over $18 billion per year to the Texas economy, generating over $120 million per year in local property taxes and creating approximately 41,000 jobs during construction.
"Together, we can build a more resilient, reliable and affordable energy future and add tens of thousands of jobs, and billions in economic growth for our local Texas communities. These transmission improvement projects will not only be built by Texans, for Texas, they could provide hundreds of millions of dollars in new tax revenue to support our local schools, first responders and other vital public services across our great state," said Jason Ryan, CenterPoint Energy's Executive Vice President, Regulatory Services and Government Affairs.
Key study findings: Key benefits for Texas communities
The study reviewed a series of electric transmission projects being planned across Texas, as well as three specific transmission resiliency projects that CenterPoint is planning in conjunction with other Texas utilities. These transmission projects are designed to help strengthen and modernize the grid, mitigate the impacts of extreme weather and powerful storms, improve electric reliability for customers, and also meet future energy demand. The study, which uses electric grid capacity expansion modeling and regional economic impact analysis, evaluates how these projects could provide significant levels of economic benefits.
"These transmission resiliency and reliability projects across Texas have the potential to deliver significant economic value, jobs and tax revenue that can help power local economies for years to come. The combination of short-term and long-term economic benefits provided is a direct result of the role and importance of these investments and a vital aspect of keeping the Texas Miracle going," said Joshua D. Rhodes, Chief Technology Officer at IdeaSmiths and a leading research scientist with The University of Texas at Austin.
According to the study, the CenterPoint transmission projects could provide a series of benefits during and after construction, including:
- Creating New Jobs: Creating approximately 41,000 Texas jobs by recruiting and hiring Texans to support construction, equal to approximately $4.4 billion in salaries and local economic activity, and adding 1,100 ongoing jobs once complete.
- Economic Value: Generating over $18 billion each year in economic value after projects are complete by increasing energy delivered to meet future demand.
- Local Investment: Providing approximately $120 million per year in new tax revenue to benefit local schools and services to support Texas families.
In combination with projects planned by other Texas utilities, these new transmission projects are estimated to create up to $30 billion each year in economic value and $300 million per year in new tax revenue, while the construction phase alone could create approximately 100,000 jobs.
To view the full findings of the study, please visit CenterPointEnergy.com/2026TxEconomicImpactStudy.
Commitment to Texans: Partnering with our local communities
CenterPoint Energy is still in the initial planning stages of its vital transmission improvement efforts and is gathering feedback from local stakeholders, property owners and community members to shape the design of proposed projects and determine potential transmission line location options to best serve Texans. As part of its outreach efforts since November 2025 for the proposed Hillje-Blu Lacy Transmission Improvement Project, CenterPoint has met with federal, state and local government officials and community organizations and continues to host a series of local community webinars and open house events to gather feedback and hear directly from local property owners.
What this means for contractors
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The underlying transmission work would serve one of the country’s largest concentrations of refining, petrochemical, LNG, manufacturing and emerging data-center load. For contractors, a 765-kV buildout can translate into large scopes for transmission construction, substations, transformers, conductor, steel structures, ROW services and engineering. The economic figures are study estimates rather than approved project spending.
