Arizona Public Service, Aquila, Inc. Earn Power Industry's 2007 Supplier Diversity Awards

Washington, DC () - Edison Electric Institute (www.eei.org) today announced that Arizona Public Service (APS), the largest subsidiary of Pinnacle West Capital Corporation (NYSE: PNW), and Aquila, Inc. (NYSE:ILA), have earned the electric power industry's 2007 Supplier Diversity Awards.  APS won the Excellence award for its comprehensive efforts in advancing the development of minority and women-owned business enterprises (MWBE) in the electric power marketplace.  Kansas City, MO-based Aquila was awarded the industry's Innovative Approaches award for increasing its internal commitment to working with MWBE. 

"Arizona Public Service and Aquila both deserve this praise for their efforts to expand purchasing opportunities for minority and women-owned businesses," said EEI President Thomas R. Kuhn.  "These companies' efforts to broaden their supplier base keep them among the nation's most competitive electric and natural gas delivery companies in the country.  Their efforts also help the U.S. electric power industry to be among the strongest industries in the world."

"Arizona Public Service is committed to fostering diversity and promoting minority and women-owned business enterprises because it makes good business sense," said Chris Froggatt, Vice President / Controller, Planning & Financial Control Administration, APS.  "We're proud of our progress and recognize that continuing our commitment will contribute to the success of our business."

"Aquila is honored to receive the prestigious 2007 Supplier Diversity Award for Innovative Approaches from Edison Electric Institute," said Richard C. Green, Aquila's Chief Executive Officer.  "Aquila is committed to fostering diversity and promoting minority and women-owned business enterprises throughout our service area because it makes good business sense.  We're proud of our progress and recognize that continuing our commitment will contribute to the continued success of our business."

With headquarters in Phoenix, APS is Arizona's largest and longest-serving electricity utility, serving more than 1 million customers in 11 of the state's 15 counties.  For more information about APS, please visit the company's Web site at www.aps.com.  Aquila is a Kansas City, Mo., based electric and natural gas distribution company that serves approximately 900,000 customers in five Midwestern states (Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri).  For more information about Aquila, please visit www.aquila.com.

In addition to presenting the industry's 2007 Supplier Diversity Awards, EEI also announced that two MWBEs-Metro Environmental Controls of Oak Park, Michigan, and Wiseman Consultants of Houston, Texas-have earned the industry's 2007 Executive Management Education Award.  Each company has developed products and services that have been judged outstanding by the electric utility industry.  The MWBEs have also made a positive impact on their communities through economic development.  Each of the winning companies will now be able to send one employee to attend an executive management course at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth University. 

For the past 24 years, EEI has recognized those electric companies who have demonstrated leadership in advancing purchasing opportunities for minority and women-owned businesses.  Contracts with power companies during this time have gone from being written for such traditional services as office supplies and temporary personnel, to critical industry areas such as underground and overhead line construction, meter reading, nuclear engineering services, construction management, and pension fund management.  For more information about the industry's supplier diversity program, please visit:  http://www.eei.org/diversity.

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The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) is the association of U.S. shareholder-owned electric companies. Our members serve 95 percent of the ultimate customers in the shareholder-owned segment of the industry, and represent approximately 70 percent of the U.S. electric power industry. We also have more than 65 International electric companies as Affiliate members, and more than 170 industry suppliers and related organizations as Associate members.