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Oct 8, 2008 1:48 pm US/Central

Company Looks To Become Ameren Rival In Ill.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) ― Could Ameren soon have competition in Illinois?

A new company is planning on it.

A company called New Illinois Cooperative Energy, or NICE, hopes to sign up thousands of homes and businesses now being served by St. Louis-based Ameren and provide them with power early next year.

The new group is led by the Southwestern Electric Cooperative co-op in southern Illinois, and there's no promise that the energy rates would be lower than Ameren's.

Officials with NICE say it needs at least 7,000 Ameren customers to switch over before it can begin supplying power. Because it's a nonprofit, NICE won't be running advertisements or doing much expensive promotional work.

Ameren spokesman Leigh Morris says his company welcomes the competition.

(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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