Power Line Blowout and Grass Fire Add to CPS Energy's Woes
CPS Energy found itself at the center of multiple crises on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, as a power line blew outside the News 4/Fox SA television station in San Antonio, sparking a small grass fire and causing outages for about 14 customers. The San Antonio Fire Department responded to the 4300 block of Northwest Loop 410, where surveillance video captured the line failing just before 3 p.m. According to CPS Energy’s outage map, power was expected to be restored by 7 p.m. the same day.
This incident is the latest in a series of challenges for the municipal utility, which is simultaneously grappling with longer outage durations, a devastating natural gas explosion lawsuit, and a major investment in future grid resilience through battery storage.
Storms and Safety Concerns Drive Longer Outages in 2025
Newly released internal metrics from CPS Energy’s board meeting on April 27 reveal that power outages worsened significantly in the utility’s 2025 fiscal year. On average, customers experienced outages for 75 minutes, up 15 minutes from the previous year. More than 1.1 million customers were affected, an increase of 169,062, compared to the prior year.
Chief Strategy Officer Elaina Ball attributed the rise to a higher-than-forecast number of storms and planned outages for maintenance work. “We plan on a weather-normalized basis, but had a significant number of storms,” Ball told board members. CPS Energy also expects average outage times to remain elevated in the coming years as it prioritizes worker safety by de-energizing power lines during dangerous maintenance jobs.
The utility also recorded its highest number of employee injuries in six years, with 51 incidents including bee stings, cuts, electrical contact, and motor vehicle events. CPS Energy officials said they will enhance tree-trimming and grid-hardening efforts to mitigate weather-related outages, which experts link to climate change.
Lawsuit Alleges Negligence in Gas Explosion That Severely Injured Family
Adding to the utility’s pressure, the Nowell family filed a lawsuit against CPS Energy last week over an April 21 home explosion on the Northeast Side that left Tim, Kim, and their daughter Ali with catastrophic injuries. The lawsuit alleges that natural gas from CPS Energy’s distribution pipeline leaked into the home, ignited, and caused the blast. The family claims the utility failed to properly inspect, maintain, and repair its gas infrastructure and used a “reactive” approach to leaks rather than proactively fixing dangerous conditions.
On Monday, May 18, family friends reported signs of recovery: Tim Nowell is out of the ICU, Kim remains in the ICU but has begun waking up, and Ali has been discharged from the hospital. The family is seeking more than $1 million in damages. A second explosion occurred in the same area on the same day, which the lawsuit cites as evidence of broader system safety concerns. CPS Energy has not publicly detailed its response to the allegations.
Breaking Ground on a 120 MW Battery Storage Project
Amid these setbacks, CPS Energy and developer OCI Energy broke ground on May 19 on the Alamo City Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in southeastern Bexar County. The 120 MW / 480 MWh facility is designed to power approximately 30,000 homes for up to four hours during peak demand. Once completed, CPS Energy will have operational control of the battery system to shift electricity supply to times of highest need, improving efficiency and reducing strain on the grid.
“Energy storage is a critical component of how we prepare for the future,” said CPS Energy President and CEO Rudy D. Garza. The project represents a significant investment in grid resilience, with financing from ING, battery technology from LG Energy Solution Vertech, and construction by Elgin Power Solutions.
The Broader Implications: A Utility at a Crossroads
CPS Energy’s recent news highlights the tension between aging infrastructure and the need for modernization. The utility is investing in cutting-edge battery storage to handle peak demand and support renewable integration, yet it is simultaneously dealing with reliability failures, safety incidents, and legal fallout from gas explosions.
The longer outages recorded in 2025 mirror a national trend where extreme weather — intensified by climate change — is overwhelming power grids. CPS Energy’s plan to keep outage times elevated for safety reasons signals a shift in priorities: worker protection over rapid restoration. Meanwhile, the battery storage project reflects a deliberate move to reduce dependence on fossil-fuel peaker plants and improve grid flexibility.
For San Antonio residents, these developments underscore the growing complexity of maintaining reliable, safe, and affordable power. The utility’s ability to balance immediate safety concerns, customer expectations, and long-term infrastructure investments will likely determine its reputation and performance in the years to come.
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