ALLENTOWN, Pa.---Easton Utilities - the municipal utility for the town of Easton, Md. - recently awarded PP&L, Inc., a subsidiary of PP&L Resources, Inc. (NYSE: PPL), a one-year contract for natural gas services.

Under the agreement, PP&L Inc. will provide gas supply and manage gas transportation and storage for Easton Utilities, a municipally owned and operated utility serving customers in and around the town of Easton, Md.

"PP&L's experience in all aspects of energy delivery and management assures us that we'll receive both reliable service and the best possible price for our customers," said Hugh E. Grunden, general manager of Easton Utilities.

The contract expands PP&L, Inc.'s activities as a total energy provider as deregulation opens new markets and new opportunities.

"Customers have always depended on PP&L for creative solutions to their electric energy needs," notes John Baileys, PP&L manager-fuel trading and supply. "We can now use our experience to provide complete energy services to a broader range of wholesale customers. It makes sense for us to provide these services for communities like Easton.

"These contracts make it much easier for the customer to get the energy they need at a competitive price and allows them to focus on core responsibilities rather than on the cumbersome task of energy management," Baileys said.

PP&L also supplies wholesale power to Easton's municipal utility and helps it to maximize the benefits from the operation of Easton's 60 megawatts of generation.

"These partnerships demonstrate that PP&L, Inc. has the creativity and experience to meet the total energy management needs of municipal utilities," said John Cotter, vice president for energy marketing and trading at PP&L, Inc.

Easton Utilities serves about 8,700 customers, providing electricity, natural gas, water, wastewater treatment, cable television and Internet access services.