Texas public power utility CPS Energy has published its 2024 Community Impact Report with results and milestones in achieving the utility’s Vision 2027 plan and its long-term guiding plan, Horizon 2050.
These strategies are needed to ensure the utility is prepared to serve the greater San Antonio now and into the future, it said.
In 2024, CPS Energy made significant strides to modernize business systems, adopt cleaner energy sources, improve grid reliability, and increase customer engagement. The utility’s resiliency efforts also included back-up plans for severe weather, more reliable infrastructure built for extreme conditions, and smart technology to prevent outages and speed up restoration times, it noted.
“These investments and initiatives reflect our continued promise to serve with excellence and reliability,” said CPS Energy’s President and CEO Rudy Garza. “Our commitment is simple: to provide reliable energy our community can count on today and into the future.”
CPS Energy’s 2024 milestones included adding 2,264 megawatts of generation (MW), enough to power 566,000 homes; acquiring gas plants in Corpus Christi and Laredo; and contracting an additional 544 MW of generation through wind and energy storage. The utility also helped over 300,000 customers with assistance and payment programs. Its commitment to the local business community included proactive outreach and workshops to over 500 local and small business firms to encourage them to bid for contract opportunities with CPS Energy.
“CPS Energy must plan for progress in order to meet the community’s increased energy needs. This requires innovation, a focus on resiliency while balancing environmental stewardship and sustainability,” said Francine Romero, Chair of the CPS Energy Board of Trustees. “I’m proud of the work CPS Energy has done and excited that this past year continues the foundation for a stronger and brighter future.”
Through the utility’s Sustainable Tomorrow Energy Plan (STEP), CPS Energy weatherized over 2,400 homes. The utility also launched the new Weatherization Repair Assistance Program (WRAP) to bridge the gap and expand the number of customers that can benefit from the larger home weatherization program, Casa Verde. For 2024, community participation in energy conservation was strong, with about 1 in 2 customers participating in one of the 20 energy programs offered through STEP.
As part of CPS Energy’s community impact, in 2024, the utility increased the eligibility requirements to expand participation in the Affordability Discount Program (ADP) and the Residential Energy Assistance Partnership (REAP). It added an additional $6 million to REAP funding and grew the average benefit from $400 to $1,200. CPS Energy employees also fundraised $406,000 in its annual Grillsgiving event to benefit the fund and an additional $350,000 from the annual golf tournament.
