PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Robin McAlester

Corporate Communications 417-625-5180

rmcalester@empiredistrict.com

EMPIRE ANNOUNCES SCHEDULED SERVICE INTERRUPTION IN HERMITAGE, MISSOURI

JOPLIN, MO - August 11, 2016 - The Empire District Electric Company has scheduled a momentary service interruption in the Hermitage, Missouri area on Monday, August 15, at approximately 12:01 a.m. Customers should be aware the outage could be postponed or extended due to weather or equipment issues.

The impacted area includes about 1,800 customers in Hermitage, Wheatland, Cross Timber, Preston, and Urbana, Missouri. This scheduled outage is necessary to allow crews to safely complete equipment upgrades which include the replacement of lake crossing structures as part of an ongoing initiative to strengthen the delivery system and enhance reliability for customers.

Based in Joplin, Missouri, The Empire District Electric Company (NYSE: EDE) is an investor- owned, regulated utility providing electric, natural gas (through its wholly owned subsidiary The Empire District Gas Company), and water service, with approximately 218,000 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.

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THE EMPIRE DISTRICT ELECTRIC COMPANY 602 JOPLIN AVENUEJOPLIN, MISSOURI 64801 417- 625- 5100 FAX: 417- 625- 5169 www.empiredistrict.com

The Empire District Electric Company published this content on 11 August 2016 and is solely responsible for the information contained herein.
Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 11 August 2016 14:22:07 UTC.

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