Summit Utilities buys gas distribution assets from CenterPoint

Summit Utilities, Inc. announced Monday that it has closed on its acquisition of the gas distribution assets of CenterPoint Energy, Inc. in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texarkana, Texas.

“At Summit, we are committed to helping our communities thrive by providing safe and affordable energy solutions that keep homes warm, businesses growing and industry running,” said Summit President and CEO Kurt Adams in a press release. “That is why we are honored to be expanding our footprint in Arkansas and Oklahoma while adding the Texarkana area to our service territory. Our mission is to help families, businesses, and industries meet their energy needs while providing high quality customer service. We are eager to become a part of the community in these new service territories and do our part to help them prosper.”

The gas distribution systems included in the transaction serve approximately 525,000 customers in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas, and include 17,000 miles of gas main pipeline across those three states. As part of the acquisition, Summit will be welcoming nearly 600 CenterPoint team members to the company.

“The team members that are serving Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texarkana communities today will continue to deliver exceptional natural gas service to our customers,” Adams said. “Although the name of the company that provides this service will be changing from CenterPoint Energy to Summit Utilities, our objective is to make this transition as seamless as possible.”

The transaction received approval from both the Oklahoma Corporation Commission and Arkansas Public Service Commission. OCC approval was granted on Nov. 16. APSC approval was granted on Dec. 6 after an agreement was reached between Summit, CenterPoint, APSC’s General Staff, the Attorney General, and groups representing Arkansas consumers.

There will be a period of up to one year where the two companies will work together to migrate all operations and services to Summit. During that transition period, CenterPoint will continue to provide certain services to customers on behalf of Summit Utilities including aspects of billing, customer support and marketing. While this is a large, complex transaction, Summit and CenterPoint will endeavor to provide a seamless transition.

Customers will not have to make any changes today to continue their current service. During the transition, customers should continue to visit CenterPointEnergy.com online to access account information online or call 800-9927552 in Arkansas and Texarkana and 866-275-5265 in Oklahoma for customer service.

To report a natural gas outage or emergency, customers should call 800-992-7552 or call 911.

In a letter to customers, Summit Utilities, Inc., stated:

We are honored to have the opportunity to serve your communities in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texarkana.

While you don’t know us yet, we are big fans of you and the communities we now serve.

As background, Summit was founded 24 years ago with a mission to bring natural gas to unserved and underserved communities. In honor of that legacy, we have built a company committed to providing clean, safe, and affordable energy solutions to communities in Arkansas, Colorado, Maine, Missouri, and Oklahoma.

The communities that we serve today look very different from the ones we started with two decades ago, but one thing remains the same: as an energy provider, and a public utility, we are committed to playing a pivotal role in helping build strong and prosperous societies.

We are bringing that commitment with us as we take ownership of CenterPoint Energy’s gas utility systems in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and the Texarkana area.

In the coming months, you may notice some changes as operations of our gas utilities shift from CenterPoint to us. We know that change can be difficult – we promise to keep you in the center of all of our planning efforts.

In the meantime, we look forward to getting to know you and your community better in the months ahead.

We look forward to earning your trust in the months and years to come.