Adios, Aquila: Customers will save, Great Plains says. We'll see.

Someone write this down and file it for future reference:

“Our acquisition of Aquila will create significant savings for both Aquila and KCP&L customers.”

That was from a prepared statement issued Monday by Great Plains Energy, Inc., the parent company of KCP&L. Aquila’s sale to Great Plains is now final, and the Missouri side of metro area – except Independence – will soon fall into one big KCP&L service area.

KCP&L has been a good corporate citizen and a good neighbor for years, but when does consolidation in any industry – particularly one with regulated monopolies – ever save money for consumers? In fact, the lack of clear consumer protections was one of several issues at the Missouri Public Service Commission that delayed this purchase, a process that’s stretched out for about two years.

The PSC ultimately approved the sale, despite the fact that those consumer concerns were never fully addressed. So after almost a century in business, Aquila – formerly UtiliCorp, and Missouri Public Service before that – is no more. It’s a changing energy landscape out there. As costs keep going up, telling consumers how much they’re saving could be a hard sell.