JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) - Missouri regulators are evaluating a Canadian company's planned purchase of a Joplin-based utility.
Algonquin Power and Utilities Corp. said Tuesday it would buy Joplin's Empire District Electric in a $2.4 billion deal. The Joplin Globe reports (http://bit.ly/23ZyvYi) the deal has to be approved by the Missouri Public Service Commission.
PSC staff and the Office of Public Counsel will review the deal and argue their recommendations before commissioners. The Office of Public Counsel represents the interests of the public and ratepayers.
They began meeting with company representatives Wednesday.
If approved, Empire will become part of Liberty Utilities Central, a subsidiary of Liberty Utilities Co., the U.S. subsidiary of Algonquin. Liberty Utilities provides water, electricity and gas utility services in 12 states, from New Hampshire to California.