INDEMNITY AGREEMENT

THIS INDEMNITY AGREEMENT (this “ Agreement ”) is made as of ________________, by and between The Empire District Electric Company, a Kansas corporation (the “ Company ”), and ______________ (“ Indemnitee ”).

WHEREAS , highly competent persons have become more reluctant to serve publicly-held corporations as directors, officers or in other capacities unless they are provided with adequate protection through adequate indemnification against inordinate risks of claims and actions against them arising out of their service to and activities on behalf of the corporation.

WHEREAS , the By-Laws (the “ Bylaws ”) of the Company require indemnification of the officers and directors of the Company and officers and directors may also be entitled to indemnification pursuant to applicable provisions of the Kansas General Corporation Code (“ KGCC ”). The Bylaws and the KGCC expressly provide that the indemnification provisions set forth therein are not exclusive, and thereby contemplate that contracts may be entered into between the Company and members of the board of directors (the “ Board ”), officers and other persons in order to protect such persons against claims and expenses arising from their services on behalf of the Company.

WHEREAS , the uncertainties relating to indemnification have increased the difficulty of attracting and retaining such persons.

WHEREAS , the Board has determined that the increased difficulty in attracting and retaining such persons is detrimental to the best interests of the Company’s stockholders and that the Company should act to assure such persons that there will be increased certainty of such protection in the future.

WHEREAS , it is reasonable, prudent and necessary for the Company contractually to obligate itself to indemnify, hold harmless, exonerate and to advance expenses on behalf of, such persons to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law so that they will serve or continue to serve the Company free from undue concern that they will not be so protected against liabilities.

WHEREAS , this Agreement is a supplement to and in furtherance of the Bylaws and any resolutions adopted pursuant thereto, and shall not be deemed a substitute therefor, nor to diminish or abrogate any rights of Indemnitee thereunder.

WHEREAS , Indemnitee does not regard the protection available under the Bylaws as adequate in the present circumstances, and may not be willing to serve as an

employee or director without adequate protection, and the Company desires Indemnitee to serve in such capacity.

NOW, THEREFORE , in consideration of the premises and the covenants contained herein, the Company and Indemnitee do hereby covenant and agree as follows:

1. SERVICES TO THE COMPANY .  Indemnitee will agree to serve or to continue to serve as an employee or director of the Company for so long as Indemnitee is duly elected or appointed or until Indemnitee tenders his or her resignation.  Nothing contained in this Agreement shall be construed as giving Indemnitee any right to be retained in the employ of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or affiliated entities.

2. DEFINITIONS .  As used in this Agreement:

(a) References to “ agent ” shall mean any individual who is or was a director, officer, or employee of the Company or a Subsidiary of the Company or other individual authorized by the Company to act for the Company, to include such individual serving in such capacity as a director, officer, employee, fiduciary or other official of another corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust or other Enterprise (as defined below) at the request of, for the convenience of, or to represent the interests of, the Company or a subsidiary of the Company.

(b) The terms “ Beneficial Owner ” and “ Beneficial Ownership ” shall have the meanings set forth in Rule 13d-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act (as defined below) as in effect on the date hereof.

(c) “ Charter ” means the Company’s Restated Articles of Incorporation.

(d) “ Corporate Status ” describes the status of an individual who is or was a director, officer, trustee, general partner, managing member, fiduciary, employee or agent of the Company or of any other Enterprise which such individual is or was serving at the request of the Company.

(e) “ Disinterested Director ” shall mean a director of the Company who is not and was not a party to the Proceeding (as defined below) in respect of which indemnification is sought by Indemnitee.

(f) “ Enterprise ” shall mean the Company and any other corporation, constituent corporation (including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a consolidation or merger to which the Company (or any of its wholly-owned subsidiaries) is a party, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise of which Indemnitee is or was serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer, trustee, general partner, managing member, fiduciary, employee or agent.

(g) “ Exchange Act ” shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

(h) “ Expenses ” shall include all direct and indirect costs, fees and expenses of any type or nature whatsoever, including, without limitation, all attorneys’ fees and costs, retainers, court costs, transcript costs, fees of experts, witness fees, travel expenses, fees of private investigators and professional advisors, duplicating costs, printing and binding costs, telephone charges, postage, delivery service fees, fax transmission charges, secretarial services and all other disbursements, obligations or expenses in connection with prosecuting, defending, preparing to prosecute or defend, investigating, being or preparing to be a witness in, settlement or appeal of, or otherwise participating in, a Proceeding.  Expenses also shall include Expenses incurred in connection with any appeal resulting from any Proceeding, including, without limitation, the principal, premium, security for, and other costs relating to any cost bond, supersedeas bond, or other appeal bond or its equivalent. Expenses, however, shall not include amounts paid in settlement by Indemnitee or the amount of judgments or fines against Indemnitee.

(i) “ Independent Counsel ” shall mean a law firm or a member of a law firm with significant experience in matters of corporation law and neither presently is, nor in the past five years has been, retained to represent: (i) the Company or Indemnitee in any matter material to either such party (other than with respect to matters concerning the Indemnitee under this Agreement, or of other indemnitees under similar indemnification agreements); or (ii) any other party to the Proceeding giving rise to a claim for indemnification hereunder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the term “Independent Counsel” shall not include any person who, under the applicable standards of professional conduct then prevailing, would have a conflict of interest in representing either the Company or Indemnitee in an action to determine Indemnitee’s rights under this Agreement.

(j) “ Kansas Court ” shall mean the United States District Court for the District of Kansas, or the District Court of Cherokee County, Kansas.

(k) The term “ Person ” shall have the meaning as set forth in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act as in effect on the date hereof; provided, however, that “Person” shall exclude: (i) the Company; (ii) any Subsidiary of the Company; (iii) any employment benefit plan of the Company or of a Subsidiary of the Company or of any corporation owned, directly or indirectly, by the stockholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of stock of the Company; and (iv) any trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under an employee benefit plan of the Company or of a Subsidiary of the Company or of a corporation owned directly or indirectly by the stockholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of stock of the Company.

(l) The term “ Proceeding ” shall include any threatened, pending or completed action, suit, arbitration, mediation, alternate dispute resolution mechanism, investigation,

inquiry, administrative hearing or any other actual, threatened or completed proceeding, whether brought in the right of the Company or otherwise and whether of a civil (including intentional or unintentional tort claims), criminal, administrative or investigative nature, in which Indemnitee was, is, will or might be involved as a party or otherwise by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, by reason of any action (or failure to act) taken by Indemnitee or of any action (or failure to act) on Indemnitee’s part while acting as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer, trustee, general partner, managing member, fiduciary, employee or agent of any other Enterprise, in each case whether or not serving in such capacity at the time any liability or expense is incurred for which indemnification, reimbursement, or advancement of expenses can be provided under this Agreement.

(m) The term “ Subsidiary ,” with respect to any Person, shall mean any corporation or other entity of which a majority of the voting power of the voting equity securities or equity interest is owned, directly or indirectly, by that Person.

(n) In connection with any merger or consolidation, references to the “ Company ” shall include not only the resulting or surviving company, but also any constituent company or constituent of a constituent company, which, if its separate existence had continued, would have had power and authority to indemnify its directors, officers, employees or agents.  The intent of this provision is that a person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of such constituent company after the date hereof or is or was serving at the request of such constituent company as a director, officer, employee, trustee or agent of another company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other Enterprise after the date hereof, shall stand in the same position under this Agreement with respect to the resulting or surviving company as the person would have under this Agreement with respect to such constituent company if its separate existence had continued.

(o) References to “ fines ” shall include any excise tax assessed on Indemnitee with respect to any employee benefit plan; references to “ serving at the request of the Company ” shall include any service as a director, officer, employee, agent or fiduciary of the Company which imposes duties on, or involves services by, such director, officer, employee, agent or fiduciary with respect to an employee benefit plan, its participants or beneficiaries; and if Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in the best interests of the participants and beneficiaries of an employee benefit plan, Indemnitee shall be deemed to have acted in a manner “ not opposed to the best interests of the Company ” as referred to in this Agreement.

3. INDEMNITY IN THIRD-PARTY PROCEEDINGS .  The Company shall indemnify, hold harmless and exonerate Indemnitee in accordance with the provisions of this Section 3 if Indemnitee was, is, or is threatened to be made, a party to or a participant (as a witness or otherwise) in any Proceeding, other than a Proceeding by or in the right of the Company to procure a judgment in its favor. Pursuant to this Section 3, Indemnitee

shall be indemnified, held harmless and exonerated against all Expenses, judgments, liabilities, fines, penalties and amounts paid in settlement (including, without limitation, all interest, assessments and other charges paid or payable in connection with or in respect of such Expenses, judgments, fines, penalties and amounts paid in settlement) actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee or on Indemnitee’s behalf in connection with such Proceeding or any claim, issue or matter therein, if Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company and, in the case of a criminal Proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe that his or her conduct was unlawful.

4. INDEMNITY IN PROCEEDINGS BY OR IN THE RIGHT OF THE COMPANY .  The Company shall indemnify, hold harmless and exonerate Indemnitee in accordance with the provisions of this Section 4 if Indemnitee was, is, or is threatened to be made, a party to or a participant (as a witness or otherwise) in any Proceeding by or in the right of the Company to procure a judgment in its favor. Pursuant to this Section 4, Indemnitee shall be indemnified, held harmless and exonerated against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee or on Indemnitee’s behalf in connection with such Proceeding or any claim, issue or matter therein, if Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company. No indemnification, hold harmless or exoneration for Expenses shall be made under this Section 4 in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which Indemnitee shall have been finally adjudged by a court to be liable to the Company, unless and only to the extent that any court in which the Proceeding was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, Indemnitee is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnification, to be held harmless or to exoneration.

5. INDEMNIFICATION FOR EXPENSES OF A PARTY WHO IS WHOLLY OR PARTLY SUCCESSFUL .  Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Agreement, to the extent that Indemnitee is a party to (or a participant in) and is successful, on the merits or otherwise, in any Proceeding or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, in whole or in part, the Company shall indemnify, hold harmless and exonerate Indemnitee against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection therewith. If Indemnitee is not wholly successful in such Proceeding but is successful, on the merits or otherwise, as to one or more but less than all claims, issues or matters in such Proceeding, the Company shall indemnify, hold harmless and exonerate Indemnitee against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee or on Indemnitee’s behalf in connection with each successfully resolved claim, issue or matter. If the Indemnitee is not wholly successful in such Proceeding, the Company also shall indemnify, hold harmless and exonerate Indemnitee against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred in connection with a claim, issue or matter related to any claim, issue, or matter on which the Indemnitee was successful. For purposes of this Section and without limitation, the termination of any claim, issue or matter in such a Proceeding by dismissal, with or without prejudice, shall be deemed to be a successful result as to such claim, issue or matter.

6. INDEMNIFICATION FOR EXPENSES OF A WITNESS .  Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, to the extent that Indemnitee is, by reason of Indemnitee’s Corporate Status, a witness in any Proceeding to which Indemnitee is not a party, Indemnitee shall be indemnified, held harmless and exonerated against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee or on Indemnitee’s behalf in connection therewith.

7. CONTRIBUTION IN THE EVENT OF JOINT LIABILITY .

(a) To the fullest extent permissible under applicable law, if the indemnification, hold harmless and/or exoneration rights provided for in this Agreement are unavailable to Indemnitee, in whole or in part, for any reason whatsoever, the Company, in lieu of indemnifying, holding harmless or exonerating Indemnitee, shall pay, in the first instance, the entire amount incurred by Indemnitee, whether for judgments, liabilities, fines, penalties, amounts paid or to be paid in settlement and/or for Expenses, in connection with any Proceeding without requiring Indemnitee to contribute to such payment, and the Company hereby waives and relinquishes any right of contribution it may have at any time against Indemnitee.

(b) The Company shall not enter into any settlement of any Proceeding in which the Company is jointly liable with Indemnitee (or would be if joined in such Proceeding) without Indemnitee’s prior written consent unless such settlement provides for a full and final release of all claims asserted against Indemnitee.

(c) The Company hereby agrees to fully indemnify, hold harmless and exonerate Indemnitee from any claims for contribution which may be brought by officers, directors or employees of the Company other than Indemnitee who may be jointly liable with Indemnitee.

8. EXCLUSIONS .  Notwithstanding any provision in this Agreement, the Company shall not be obligated under this Agreement to make any indemnification, hold harmless or exoneration payment:

(a) in connection with any claim made against Indemnitee for which payment has actually been received by or on behalf of Indemnitee under any insurance policy or other indemnity provision, except with respect to any excess beyond the amount actually received under any insurance policy, contract, agreement, other indemnity provision or otherwise;

(b) in connection with any claim made against Indemnitee for an accounting of profits made from the purchase and sale (or sale and purchase) by Indemnitee of securities of the Company within the meaning of Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act or similar provisions of state statutory law or common law; or

(c) except as otherwise provided in Sections 13(e)-(f) hereof, in connection with any Proceeding (or any part of any Proceeding) initiated by Indemnitee, including any Proceeding (or any part of any Proceeding) initiated by Indemnitee against the Company or its directors, officers, employees or other indemnitees, unless (i) the Proceeding (or

any part of any Proceeding) was authorized by a two-thirds vote of the Continuing Directors (as that term is defined in the Charter) prior to its initiation, (ii) such payment arises in connection with any mandatory counterclaim or cross-claim that the Indemnitee asserts against the Company or its directors, officers, employees or other indemnitees or any affirmative defense Indemnitee raises, or (iii) the Company provides the indemnification, hold harmless or exoneration payment, in its sole discretion, pursuant to the powers vested in the Company under applicable law.

9. ADVANCES OF EXPENSES; DEFENSE OF CLAIM .

(a) Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, and to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the Company shall advance the Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee (or reasonably expected by Indemnitee to be incurred by Indemnitee within three months) in connection with any Proceeding within ten (10) days after the receipt by the Company of a statement or statements requesting such advances from time to time, whether prior to or after final disposition of any Proceeding. Advances shall be unsecured and interest free. Advances shall be made without regard to Indemnitee’s ability to repay the Expenses and without regard to Indemnitee’s ultimate entitlement to be indemnified, held harmless or exonerated under the other provisions of this Agreement. Advances shall include any and all reasonable Expenses incurred in pursuing a Proceeding to enforce this right of advancement, including Expenses incurred preparing and forwarding statements to the Company to support the advances claimed. The Indemnitee shall qualify for advances, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, solely upon the execution and delivery to the Company of an undertaking providing that the Indemnitee undertakes to repay the advance to the extent that it is ultimately determined that In