Public Service Commission to hold public hearing in Joplin on Empire District Electric requests

(From the Missouri Public Service Commission)

The Missouri Public Service Commission will hold a local public hearing in Joplin, Missouri on January 23, 2019 in cases filed by The Empire District Electric Company (Empire). Formal evidentiary hearings are scheduled for April 8-11, 2019, in Jefferson City.

Empire seeks a certificate of convenience and necessity (CCN) authorizing it to acquire an interest in two holding companies that own the companies that will be constructing and installing two wind projects-Kings Point and North Fork Ridge-each comprising approximately 150 megawatts of wind generation. Empire also seeks authorization to own, operate, maintain and manage the two wind projects which would be constructed in the Missouri counties of Barton, Dade, Jasper and Lawrence.

In a separate case, Empire seeks a CCN to acquire an interest in a holding company that owns the company that will be constructing and installing a wind project in Neosho County, Kansas, comprising approximately 300 megawatts of wind generation. In addition, the CCN would authorize Empire to own, operate, maintain and manage the wind project.

The Commission will hold a local public hearing in Joplin on January 23, 2019, at Missouri Southern State University, Cornell Auditorium, 3950 E. Newman Road. A PSC Staff public information/question and answer session starts at 6:00 p.m. with the Commission receiving testimony from the public following the question and answer session.

Formal evidentiary hearings will be held April 8-11, 2019, in Room 310 of the Governor Office Building, 200 Madison Street, Jefferson City, Missouri. These hearings will be streamed live on the Commission’s website (psc.mo.gov).

The local public hearing and formal evidentiary hearings will be held in buildings that meet the accessibility standards required by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Any person requiring additional accommodations to participate in these hearings should call the Missouri Public Service Commission’s Hotline at 1-800-392-4211 (voice) or Relay Missouri at 711 before the hearings.

The Empire District Electric Company serves approximately 153,000 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.