Scana Energy wins bid for 50,000 more natural gas customers in Georgia

<p>Scana Energy has won a bid to acquire the 50,000 natural gas customers in Georgia previously served by a Connecticut company that is pulling out of the state market because of poor business conditions.</p><p>Scana refused to say how much the deal, announced Thursday, was worth, but the company said the transaction wont significantly affect its earnings.</p><p>Atlanta-based Scana Energy said the agreement to acquire the Georgia customers from Energy America LLC of Stamford, Conn., is subject to approval by state regulators. The deal is expected to close by March 1.</p><p>In October, Energy America announced it was pulling out of the Georgia market because of a challenging business environment that makes it difficult to achieve the necessary scale of operation to create real shareholder value.</p><p>In a settlement approved by the state Public Service Commission on Sept. 2, the company was ordered to pay the largest penalty ever imposed in Georgia for slamming, a practice of switching new customers to a new company without their consent.</p><p>Technically, the $400,000 was a voluntary payment to a program to help poor residents with their heating bills. Energy America also had to pay $100 to each of 138 customers affected by the slamming.</p><p>Scana Energy, a subsidiary of Scana Corp. of Columbia, S.C., said its total customer base will increase to more than 450,000 following the transaction. That represents a 30 percent share of the 1.5 million customers in Georgias natural gas market.</p><p>___</p><p>On the Net:</p><p>HASH(0x2865ae8)</p><p>HASH(0x2865b6c)</p>

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