The Maryland Public Service Commission granted approval to South Jersey Industries Inc.'s proposed acquisition of Elkton Gas Co. from the Southern Co. subsidiary Pivotal Utility Holdings Inc.
At deal closing, South Jersey Industries would become New Jersey's second largest natural gas provider and the third largest local gas distribution company in the U.S., providing service to over 681,000 customers, according to a June 1 news release. Elkton Gas serves about 7,000 customers in the greater Elkton, Md., area in eastern Maryland.
South Jersey Industries is also in the process of acquiring the New Jersey-based utility Elizabethtown Gas Co. Inc., which has yet to receive approval from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. Elizabethtown Gas has 292,000 customers in New Jersey and, like Elkton Gas, is a Pivotal utility.
The Elkton Gas and Elizabethtown Gas acquisitions are scheduled to close in mid-2018.
