Empire District Electric enters gas market with $84 million purchase

An $84 million deal was agreed upon Sept. 21, and, according to Director of Corporate Communications Amy Bass, it will diversify and supplement Empire’s peak service season by giving Empire its first gas properties.

“Currently, our big months for business are in the summertime when the air-conditioning load is high,” Bass said, “and the big months for (Aquila) are in the wintertime when the heating load is on. So it helps to kind of balance the business.”

Empire is an investor-owned utility company that serves about 157,000 customers in southwest Missouri, southeast Kansas, northeast Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas. Empire’s service area excludes Springfield but includes surrounding cities, such as Republic and Ozark.

The agreement will add about 48,500 customers in 44 communities to Empire’s portfolio. Nevada is the closest location to Springfield served by natural gas that Empire gained in the deal.

Empire officials said the company would retain all employees gained from Kansas City-based Aquila.

The transaction awaits approval of the Missouri Public Service Commission. Empire officials expect it to be finalized by mid-2006.

Meanwhile, Empire received certification from the Green-e Program, a renewable energy certification and verification group, for an environmentally friendly energy project in Kansas.

The certification was awarded to the Elk River wind project near Beaumont, Kan., and, according to Empire officials, customers should start receiving energy from the project later this year.

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