Usource Announces Agreement with Lonza Incorporated

HAMPTON, N.H., March 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Unitil Corporation (NYSE: UTL) (www.unitil.com), today announced its non-regulated business affiliate Usource, LLC (Usource) has been selected to represent Lonza Incorporated's energy requirements as well as develop and maintain strategies that will take the company into the future.

Usource will manage the energy portfolios for Lonza facilities in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Illinois and Texas.

"Lonza is the most forward thinking company I've had the pleasure to work with," Usource Business Development Director Bill Kibler said. "Lonza's facilities are in seven states and all have very different challenges. By understanding these markets and timing solicitations, Usource has already taken some of Lonza's electricity and natural gas requirements to market and locked up considerable savings over what they were previously paying."

The competitive electric and natural gas markets continue to approach five-year lows, and Usource's proprietary, state-of-the art transaction and market monitoring platforms and unmatched access to all electric and natural gas suppliers will get results for Lonza, Kibler said.

"In a time when all budgets are under the microscope, you need to work with a partner whose only business is energy and that partner is Usource," Kibler said.

Usource is the second largest broker of electricity and natural gas in the country, operates in 18 states and manages over $500 million in energy contracts annually. By creating competition among suppliers, Usource works to get its clients the best electricity and natural gas rates possible.

Lonza is one of the world's leading suppliers to the pharmaceutical, healthcare and life science industries. Products and services span its customers' needs from research to final product manufacture. It is the global leader in the production and support of active pharmaceutical ingredients both chemically as well as biotechnologically. Biopharmaceuticals are one of the key growth drivers of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Lonza has strong capabilities in large and small molecules, peptides, amino acids and niche bioproducts which play an important role in the development of novel medicines and healthcare products. In addition, Lonza is a leader in cell-based research, endotoxin detection and cell therapy manufacturing. Furthermore, the company is a leading provider of value chemical and biotech ingredients to the nutrition, hygiene, preservation, agro and personal care markets.

Lonza is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland and is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. In 2009, Lonza had sales of CHF 2.690 billion.

About Unitil Corporation

Unitil Corporation provides for the necessities of life, safely and reliably delivering natural gas and electricity throughout New England. We are committed to the communities we serve and to developing people, business practices, and technologies that lead to dependable, more efficient energy. Unitil Corporation is a public utility holding company with affiliates that include Unitil Energy Systems, Inc., Fitchburg Gas and Electric Light Company, Northern Utilities, Inc., and Granite State Gas Transmission, Inc. Together, Unitil's operating utilities serve approximately 100,900 electric customers and 70,800, natural gas customers. Other subsidiaries include Unitil Service Corp. and Usource, Unitil's non-regulated business segment.  For more information about our people, technologies, and community involvement please visit www.unitil.com.

SOURCE Unitil Corporation