SPOKANE, WA, Jun 15, 2011 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) --

Avista (NYSE: AVA) has released "Building Shared Value for a Shared Future" its 2011 corporate responsibility report. In keeping with the company's sustainable business practices, the report is published online at avistautilities.com, key word: Shared Value. This is the third annual report on the company's operations. New this year is information about how the company is building shared value for stakeholders through three areas of focus: customer experiences, responsible resources and environmental stewardship.

"In the evolution of corporate responsibility reporting, the role and vision of the corporation are changing. We've built a more robust and informative report upon the traditional model. The report now better shows how our work is integrated with our core business strategies," said Scott Morris, Avista Corp. chairman, president and chief executive officer. "The shared value perspective gives us the opportunity to talk about how our strategic business interests also bring value to the interests of our stakeholders."

Highlights from the report include:

--  Examples of how Avista is building shared value for customers, a
    school district and a community;
--  A look at how we are managing our carbon footprint to remain among the
    lowest carbon emitters of investor-owned utilities in the U.S.;
--  A listing of the broad scope of organizations Avista partners with to
    enhance community vitality and to provide assistance to those on
    limited incomes and support for initiatives to reduce poverty; and
--  Avista's lifelong learning philosophy that contributes to above
    average employee engagement.

About Avista Avista Corp. is an energy company involved in the production, transmission and distribution of energy as well as other energy-related businesses. Avista Utilities is our operating division that provides electric service to 358,000 customers and natural gas to 319,000 customers. Our service territory covers 30,000 square miles in eastern Washington, northern Idaho and parts of southern and eastern Oregon, with a population of 1.5 million. Avista's primary, non-regulated subsidiary is Advantage IQ. Our stock is traded under the ticker symbol "AVA." For more information about Avista, please visit www.avistacorp.com.

Avista Corp. and the Avista Corp. logo are trademarks of Avista Corporation.

Contact:
Media:
Jessie Wuerst
(509) 495-8578
Email Contact

Investors:
Jason Lang
(509) 495-2930
Email Contact

Avista 24/7 Media Access
(509) 495-4174

SOURCE: Avista

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