Empire District schedules outage in Stockton

Customers of Empire District Electric Co. in Stockton should prepare for a power outage next week. The company has scheduled an outage for the greater Stockton area from midnight to approximately 3 a.m. on Feb. 5, so that the company can replace transmission and distribution equipment in the area, according to a company news release. The company will be replacing a piece of equipment in the region, according to spokeswoman Amy Bass. The outage will affect approximately 1,000 customers in the city of Stockton and the immediate surrounding rural areas, Bass said. The Joplin-based public utility company is encouraging its customers in that area to make necessary plans for the outage; the company offers tips on how to prepare on its Web site. The outage was originally scheduled for Jan. 29 at the same time, but it was postponed due to the potential for winter weather later this week. Empire District Electric (NYSE: EDE) offers electric, natural gas and water service to 215,000 customers in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas.