PR-11-177 -- Change In Fuel Adjustment Charged Approved For The Empire District Electric Company

Contact: Kevin Kelly (573) 751-9300

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- MAY 12, 2011

JEFFERSON CITY---The Missouri Public Service Commission has approved a request filed by The Empire District Electric Company (Empire) to adjust the fuel adjustment charge (FAC) on the bills of its electric customers.

The FAC rider mechanism, which allows for this adjustment, was adopted in a July 2008 rate case decision and is not associated with the pending Empire rate case that is currently before the Commission.  The FAC mechanism allows for an adjustment to address fuel and purchase power cost volatility.

Empire stated in its application that its filing reflected fuel and purchased power costs for the period of September 1, 2010 through February 1, 2011. 

A residential customer using 1,000 kWh (kilowatt-hours) of electricity a month, currently pays an FAC of approximately $2.53 a month.  That will drop by approximately $1.65 a month to approximately $0.88 a month.  This change will take effect in June 2011.

On May 2, 2011, the PSC staff filed a memorandum recommending the tariff be approved.

The Empire District Electric Company serves approximately 148,000 electric customers in the Missouri counties of Barry, Barton, Cedar, Christian, Dade, Dallas, Greene, Hickory, Jasper, Lawrence, McDonald, Newton, Polk, St. Clair, Stone and Taney.

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Case No. ER-2011-0320