Retail energy services giant Direct Energy announced today it has reached an agreement with Bounce Energy to acquire the company for $46 million, along with additional working capital.

The acquisition stands to bolster Direct Energy’s leadership position as the largest retail energy services provider in North America, operating within six Canadian provinces and 46 states in the United States.

The firm is active in the energy production and generation channels while conducting its primary functions in delivery of electricity and natural gas to its residential and commercial customers.

Direct Energy employs more than 6,000 staffers and boasts a client base more than 6 million strong.

Deregulated states such as Texas and Pennsylvania represent a large portion of Direct Energy’s existing customer base, but the firm is actively pushing toward the opening of new markets through deregulation in other regulated states.

Recently, Direct has been a key proponent in the enterprise role for advancing deregulation efforts in Arizona, which has begun revisiting a transition to a competitive market in May 2013, more than a decade after initial attempts failed in the early 2000’s.

In addition to the 80,000 residential and commercial customers presently under the Bounce banner, Direct stands to gain cutting edge technology and marketing resources, fresh expertise in energy industry personnel and one of the ‘most liked’ energy brands in social media.

Direct Energy’s CEO, Badar Khan, reassured consumers about the purchase, saying that the acquisition will “provide customers with more innovative, efficient and competitive energy services options.”

If no setbacks occur during the forthcoming mandatory regulatory review process, the deal should close some time in the Fall of 2013.