Empires S-8 No. 2 - Exhibit 23(a) Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement on Form S 8 of our report dated March 10, 2005 relating to the financial statements, management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, which appears in The Empire District Electric Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004. We also consent to the incorporation by reference of our report dated March 10, 2005 relating to the financial statement schedule, which appears in such Annual Report on Form 10 K.