AGL Resources Inc. and Nicor Inc. today received approval of their merger from the Illinois Commerce Commission. This is the final approval required to close the transaction.

"We are pleased with the ICC's decision to approve our merger," said John W. Somerhalder II, chairman, president and chief executive officer of AGL Resources. "We will review the ICC's final order and plan to close the transaction in a timely manner."

Once completed, the merger is expected to create the largest system of affiliated natural gas-only distribution companies in the country based on customer count, serving approximately 4.5 million customers in seven states. The increased scale and scope of the combined company is expected to create long-term benefits for customers.