UE, ASSOCIATED GAS CUSTOMERS' RATES ARE LOWERED

Effective last Friday,, Union Electric Co. and Associated Natural Gas customers will pay less for their natural gas.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission authorized a decrease in the natural gas rates charged by the Texas Eastern Transmission Corp., wholesale supplier of natural gas to Union Electric in the former Southeast Missouri District service area of Missouri Utilities.

To reflect refunds received from the wholesale suppliers of natural gas, Associated Natural Gas will also decrease the natural gas rates of its SEMO District customers.

Refunds were received from Texas Eastern and from the Mississippi River Transmission Corporation and ARKLA Energy Resources.

Under present rates, a typical residential customer using approximately 236 ccf (23,600 cubic feet of gas) in the month of January, would have paid $128.01 to Union Electric and $117.39 to Associate Natural Gas for that gas. As a result of the change, the same customer will pay $118.69 and $114.24. respectively for that same amount of gas now.

They represents an approximate 7.3 percent decrease in a customer's Union Electric bill and a 2.7 percent decrease in the bill with Associated Natural Gas.

Approximately 60 to 70 percent of a customer's natural gas bill reflects the cost of natural gas from the wholesale supplier. Wholesale supplier rates fluctuate several times during the course of a year.

Union Electric serves approximately 22,000 natural gas customers in the former SEMO District service area of the Missouri Utilities Co., which includes the counties of Cape Girardeau, Stoddard and Scott.

Associated Natural Gas serves approximately 33,000 natural gas customers in its SEMO District, which includes the counties of New Madrid, Pemiscot, Ripley, Cape Girardeau, Dunklin, Scott, Iron, Wayne, Stoddard and Mississippi.