Black Hills Corporation
Encyclopedia
Black Hills Corporation is a Rapid City, South Dakota
diversified energy company that is an electric and gas utility in South Dakota and Wyoming and sells power throughout the American West.
It derives its name from its home in the Black Hills
of South Dakota.
Company of Deadwood
. Merged with the Belt Light and Power Company of Lead
in 1905, the company became Consolidated Power and Light Company of South Dakota. Meanwhile, to the south, the Dakota Power Company began serving Rapid City in 1910. Both of these companies were purchased by holding companies in the 1920s. With Roosevelt-era legislation to breakup big national utility holding companies, Black Hills Power & Light Company was formed in 1941 by combining the assets of General Public Utilities, Inc. and Dakota Power Company which provided power for most of western South Dakota
.
In 1956, the company completed its acquisition of the Wyodak Coal Company (now Wyodak Resources Development Corporation), from the Homestake Mining Company
setting the stage for the company's significant investments in mining, oil and gas.
In 2007, it announced an agreement to buy the natural gas
utility in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa and its Colorado electric utility from Aquila, Inc.
. Completed in July, 2008, the deal increased the company's customer base from 137,000 to 753,000 and increased its employee base from 916 to 2,000.
and New Castle, Wyoming as well as southeastern Montana via its Black Hills Power subsidiary.
Its Cheyenne Light, Fuel & Power Company subsidiary serves another 80,000 in Cheyenne, Wyoming
and southeastern Wyoming.
Via its Black Hills Energy component it has 1,000 Megawatts of generating capacity in Colorado, Nevada, Wyoming and California including two plants serving Las Vegas, Nevada
.
The company's bigger component is its wholesale energy wing.
The centerpiece of the operation is the Wyodak Mine
near Gillette, Wyoming
in the Powder River Basin
, which is the oldest operating surface mine for coal in the United States. The mine has permitted reserves of 286 million tons.
In addition it claims 169 Gcuft in oil and gas reserves(76% of which is natural gas) principally in New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming.
Rapid City, South Dakota
Rapid City is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of South Dakota, and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek on which the city is established, it is set against the eastern slope of the Black Hills mountain range. The population was 67,956 as of the 2010 Census. Rapid...
diversified energy company that is an electric and gas utility in South Dakota and Wyoming and sells power throughout the American West.
It derives its name from its home in the Black Hills
Black Hills
The Black Hills are a small, isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, USA. Set off from the main body of the Rocky Mountains, the region is something of a geological anomaly—accurately described as an "island of...
of South Dakota.
History
The company traces its roots to 1883 and the organization of the Black Hills Electric LightElectric light
Electric lights are a convenient and economic form of artificial lighting which provide increased comfort, safety and efficiency. Most electric lighting is powered by centrally-generated electric power, but lighting may also be powered by mobile or standby electric generators or battery systems...
Company of Deadwood
Deadwood, South Dakota
Deadwood is a city in South Dakota, United States, and the county seat of Lawrence County. It is named for the dead trees found in its gulch. The population was 1,270 according to a 2010 census...
. Merged with the Belt Light and Power Company of Lead
Lead, South Dakota
Lead is a city in Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 3,124 at the 2010 census. Lead is located in western South Dakota, in the Black Hills near the Wyoming state line.-History:...
in 1905, the company became Consolidated Power and Light Company of South Dakota. Meanwhile, to the south, the Dakota Power Company began serving Rapid City in 1910. Both of these companies were purchased by holding companies in the 1920s. With Roosevelt-era legislation to breakup big national utility holding companies, Black Hills Power & Light Company was formed in 1941 by combining the assets of General Public Utilities, Inc. and Dakota Power Company which provided power for most of western South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
.
In 1956, the company completed its acquisition of the Wyodak Coal Company (now Wyodak Resources Development Corporation), from the Homestake Mining Company
Homestake Mining Company
The Homestake Mining Company was one of the largest gold mining businesses in the United States from the 19th century through the beginning of the 21st...
setting the stage for the company's significant investments in mining, oil and gas.
In 2007, it announced an agreement to buy the natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
utility in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa and its Colorado electric utility from Aquila, Inc.
Aquila, Inc.
Aquila, Inc. was an electricity and natural gas distribution network headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri in the United States. The company also owned and operated power generation assets...
. Completed in July, 2008, the deal increased the company's customer base from 137,000 to 753,000 and increased its employee base from 916 to 2,000.
Components
The company is the electric utility for 64,200 customers between Rapid City, South DakotaRapid City, South Dakota
Rapid City is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of South Dakota, and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek on which the city is established, it is set against the eastern slope of the Black Hills mountain range. The population was 67,956 as of the 2010 Census. Rapid...
and New Castle, Wyoming as well as southeastern Montana via its Black Hills Power subsidiary.
Its Cheyenne Light, Fuel & Power Company subsidiary serves another 80,000 in Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Laramie County. The population is 59,466 at the 2010 census. Cheyenne is the...
and southeastern Wyoming.
Via its Black Hills Energy component it has 1,000 Megawatts of generating capacity in Colorado, Nevada, Wyoming and California including two plants serving Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
.
The company's bigger component is its wholesale energy wing.
The centerpiece of the operation is the Wyodak Mine
Wyodak Mine
The Wyodak mine is a coal mine located 6 miles east of Gillette, Wyoming in the United States in the coal-rich Powder River Basin. The operation is an open pit mine that utilizes a truck and shovel mining method to produce a low-sulfur, sub-bituminous coal that is used for domestic energy generation...
near Gillette, Wyoming
Gillette, Wyoming
Gillette is a city in and the county seat of Campbell County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 29,087 in 2010. Gillette is a city centrally located in an area involved with the development of vast quantities of American coal, oil, and coal bed methane gas...
in the Powder River Basin
Powder River Basin
The Powder River Basin is a geologic region in southeast Montana and northeast Wyoming, about east to west and north to south, known for its coal deposits. The region supplies about 40 percent of coal in the United States. It is both a topographic drainage and geologic structural basin...
, which is the oldest operating surface mine for coal in the United States. The mine has permitted reserves of 286 million tons.
In addition it claims 169 Gcuft in oil and gas reserves(76% of which is natural gas) principally in New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming.