Empire District gets approval to adjust fuel charge

The Missouri Public Service Commission has approved Empire District Electric Co.'s request to adjust the fuel adjustment charge on the monthly bills of the Joplin-based company's electric customers.

Under the approved filing, a residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity a month will see the fuel adjustment charge reduce their bills by about 99 cents per month, up from a reduction of 38 cents per month, according to a news release. Empire District counts roughly 147,200 electric customers in 16 Missouri counties, including Greene County.

Effective June 1, the charge adjustment reflects the company's fuel and purchased power costs for the six-month period ending in February. The company would realize a resulting net decrease of roughly 61 cents per customer each month. Empire District's fuel adjustment

Empire District Electric Co. (NYSE: EDE) bumped first-quarter earnings by 28.6 percent to $12.6 million, up from $9.8 million in the same quarter a year ago.

The company's shares were trading at $22.77 as of 10:32 a.m., compared to a 52-week range of $19.59 to $23.35.