The Empire District Electric Company Announces New Rates for Arkansas Customers

The Empire District Electric Company (NYSE:EDE) announced today that the Arkansas Public Service Commission has granted a change in rates for its Arkansas electric customers. The Commission granted an annual increase in revenues of approximately $1.37 million. For a residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt hours, this means a monthly increase of approximately $14.43, or about 13.5 percent.

The Commission also allowed for the continuation of the fuel adjustment mechanism and the tracker for Regional Transmission Organization transmission charges.

The new rates will allow recovery of costs incurred to ensure continued reliable service for customers, including capital investments, operating systems replacement costs, and ongoing increases in other operation and maintenance expenses and capital costs.

Based in Joplin, Missouri, The Empire District Electric Company (NYSE: EDE) is an investor-owned, regulated utility providing electricity, natural gas (through its wholly owned subsidiary The Empire District Gas Company), and water service, with approximately 217,000 customers in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. A subsidiary of the company provides fiber optic services. For more information regarding Empire, visit www.empiredistrict.com.

Certain matters discussed in this press release are “forward-looking statements” intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements address future plans, objectives, expectations, and events or conditions concerning various matters. Actual results in each case could differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements, by reason of the factors noted in our filings with the SEC, including the most recent Form 10-K and Form 10-Q.