Hurricane Beryl recently caused significant damage to power lines in southwest Texas, but amidst the destruction, some utility poles remained standing. These poles, made by Resilient Structures, are not the typical wooden ones that often split and crack during storms. Instead, they are composite poles made from woven fiberglass.
Edgar Castro, the plant director at Resilient Structures, explained that these composite poles are hollow, allowing for equipment and wires to be stored inside rather than on the outside and exposed to the elements. The company’s poles have proven their durability, withstanding recent hurricane and tornado activity as well as other inclement weather in Houston.
CenterPoint, a utility company, has already purchased thousands of these composite poles from Resilient Structures. Rob Krotee, the executive VP at Resilient Structures, stated that although he wouldn’t call them indestructible, the company has never lost a pole to a weather event. The initial cost of these poles is around $5,000 each, but they offer long-term savings in transportation, installation, maintenance, and longevity.
CenterPoint has recognized the importance of hardening its infrastructure in the face of extreme weather events. Over the past five years, the company has invested $1.46 billion in improving its infrastructure. However, it acknowledges that insufficient resiliency work was done before Hurricane Beryl struck, leaving millions without power.
To address this issue, CenterPoint has developed a comprehensive “Resiliency Plan” consisting of 1,000 pages. Jason Ryan, CenterPoint’s executive vice president of regulatory services and government affairs, stated that this plan will help strengthen the local infrastructure for future extreme weather events. The plan estimates spending $376 million from 2025 to 2027 to harden the transmission system, including replacing old wooden power poles with stronger ones.
In recent years, CenterPoint has already replaced some of its old wooden poles with composite poles like those manufactured by Resilient Structures. The company’s plan outlines a total expenditure of $1.45 billion from 2025 to 2027 to further improve its infrastructure.
Castro emphasized that these composite poles have been rated to withstand 6,000 pounds of force, making them capable of withstanding a category five hurricane. Although soil conditions or foundations may not survive extreme storms, having stronger poles allows for quicker restoration of utilities, benefitting residents.
Resilient Structures aims to distribute and eventually manufacture the composite poles locally, with a distribution center already established in Humble, Texas. Castro added that communities will start seeing these poles in various colors as local leaders and utility providers work together to strengthen the grid in anticipation of future disruptive events.
In conclusion, the use of composite poles made from woven fiberglass is proving to be a resilient and cost-effective solution for power line infrastructure during extreme weather events. As utility companies like CenterPoint prioritize hardening their infrastructure, the adoption of these composite poles represents a significant step towards greater resilience and faster restoration of essential services in affected communities.
