South Jersey Energy Acquires Certain Retail Customers of CenterPoint Energy Services

South Jersey Energy (SJE) announced this afternoon that it purchased a retail marketing book of Pennsylvania customers from CenterPoint Energy Services of Houston, Texas.

The book purchased by South Jersey Energy includes more than 1,000 commercial and industrial customers, reflecting primarily retail natural gas sales within the utility service areas of UGI, Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania, PECO Energy, and Equitable.

"Through this purchase, SJE has acquired a strong book of business that fits well with its northeast footprint. The purchase of these assets will firmly establish SJE's presence in Eastern Pennsylvania, an identified area of growth for SJE's energy commodity sales business," South Jersey Energy said.

"This sale was made possible by significant changes in Pennsylvania's competitive landscape. Natural gas production in the Marcellus Shale has expanded dramatically and the state's electricity market is fully deregulated. This market supports SJI's existing wholesale gas sales efforts in the Marcellus Shale," South Jersey Energy said.