The Missouri Public Service Commission, on a vote of 3-1, has adopted final rules designed to increase electric service reliability for customers of the four investor-owned utilities in Missouri.

The rules establish reliability monitoring and reporting requirements for The Empire District Electric Company, AmerenUE, Kansas City Power & Light Company and Aquila, Inc. These rules require the electric companies to annually compile and file with the PSC, system and customer-specific interruption frequency and duration of outage information.

Consistent with utility easements and applicable law, electric companies will be required under the rules, where reasonable, to locate all newly installed electric distribution facilities underground. This would apply to residential subdivisions with average lots no larger than 0.5 acres.

Under the service reliability rules, each electric company will be required to establish and maintain a program for identifying and analyzing its worst performing circuits during the course of each calendar year. The program must include an analysis of the 5 percent worst performing circuits used to serve a company’s electric retail customers. If a circuit has been on the worst performing circuit list for any two of the three most recent consecutive calendar years, the company will be required to include detailed plans and schedules for improving the performance of that circuit.

The rules also require each electric company to file a summary report detailing all programs designed to maintain or improve the company’s service reliability. That information will be reported by region/district/division operating areas.

The rules must now go to the Missouri General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules and then on to the Secretary of State for publication. The rules would then be scheduled to take effect July 30, 2008