Empire District applies for power pool

The investor-owned utility applied with the Missouri Public Service Commission seeking permission to join the regional transmission operator group. Empire is requesting authorization to transfer functional control of some of its transmission facilities to the group in a fail-safe plan.

Amy Bass, director of corporate communications for the utility, said joining Southwest Power Pool would guarantee energy reliability for Empire customers.

“(Southwest Power Pool) directs the flow of energy throughout the region, since we’re all interconnected and use our neighbor’s lines to bring power into our systems, and other utilities use our lines to bring power into their system,” she said. “They are the ones who will be ensuring no one’s lines are overloaded and that everything is going along as it should be.”

The commission invites anyone to intervene and participate in the request case. Applications to do so must be filed by Nov. 18 with the commission, P.O. Box 360, Jefferson City, MO, 65102.

Empire District Electric serves more than 157,000 customers in southwest Missouri, southeast Kansas, northeast Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas with electric, fiber optic, Internet and information software services.