Casper Area Chamber Of Commerce: BLACK HILLS ENERGY HIGHLIGHTS PROGRESS TOWARD A CLEANER ENERGY FUTURE IN NEWLY RELEASED SUSTAINABILITY ...

Press release from the Casper Area Chamber of Commerce:

August 27, 2021

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Aug. 27, 2021 – Black Hills Energy announced the release of its 2020 Corporate Sustainability Report, showcasing the company’s environmental, social and governance performance and its progress on major projects and climate goals. The report also highlights how in 2020 – during a historic and challenging year – the Black Hills Energy team worked together to quickly adapt to the uncertainty of the pandemic, to safely serve its communities and reliably supply essential energy to customers.
 
“Whether delivering energy to homes and businesses, helping customers in times of need, providing resources to our employees or partnering with communities, we recognize we are much more than a utility, we are an engaged corporate citizen,” said Mark Stege, Black Hills Energy’s vice president of operations. “We consider it a privilege to provide electricity and natural gas to nearly 1.3 million businesses and families across our eight-state service territory and we are committed to doing so in a way that supports our values and our responsibility to customers, communities and planet.”
 
Throughout 2020, Black Hills Energy advanced its climate goals, achieving a 30% corporate-wide reduction in greenhouse gas emissions for its electric utility operations and a 33% reduction in natural gas emissions since 2005. The company’s sustainability strategy calls for a 40% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030 and 70% by 2040 for its electric operations and a 50% reduction in natural gas emissions by 2035.
 
Key achievements include:

• Expanded clean energy offerings: The successful construction and on-time delivery in 2020 of the company’s newest wind energy facility, the Corriedale Wind Energy Project in Cheyenne, Wyoming, added 52.5-megwatts (MW) of renewable energy to the power grid. Today, 25% of the company’s total owned or contracted generation is made up of renewable wind energy.
• Advancements in renewable natural gas: With the fourth renewable natural gas (RNG) interconnection project placed into service in 2020, up to another 400 MMBtu per day of biogas has been added to the company’s natural gas supply.
• Community impact: The company’s direct economic impact totaled $1.38 billion in 2020 – a result of the company’s charitable giving, compensation for more than 3,000 employees, franchise fees, payments to suppliers, and property, sales and use taxes paid to communities within Black Hills Energy’s eight-state service territory.
• Customer support: The company provided $813,000 in funding through its Black Hills Cares program to respond to increased customer needs due to the impact of COVID-19, helping more than 2,500 families in need.
• Energy efficiency and conservation: Over $9.5 million in energy efficiency rebates to residential and business customers, leading to annual energy savings of over 30 million kilowatt-hours of electricity and 330,000 dekatherms of natural gas – enough energy to power nearly 3,900 homes a year with electricity and natural gas.

 
Black Hills Energy – 2020 Wyoming highlights include:

• 178,540 electric and natural gas customers served in 55 communities throughout the state.
• $508,000 in charitable giving including contributions and sponsorships for nonprofits, chambers and economic development organizations, United Way, energy assistance, in-kind donations, scholarships and investments in trees.
• 433 employees
• $159,093 in direct economic impact including charitable impact, city franchise fees, employee compensation, payments to suppliers, property tax, sales and use taxes, and coal tax.

Learn more at www.blackhillsenergy.com/sustainability.
 
Media Contacts:
Michael Howe                          (307) 261-3254
                                                Michael.howe@blackhillscorp.com
 
24-Hour Media Assistance:       888-242-3969
 
 
Black Hills Corp.
Black Hills Corp. (NYSE: BKH) is a customer focused, growth-oriented utility company with a tradition of improving life with energy and a vision to be the energy partner of choice. Based in Rapid City, South Dakota, the company serves 1.3 million natural gas and electric utility customers in eight states: Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming. More information is available at www.blackhillscorp.com.
 

This press release was produced by the Casper Area Chamber of Commerce. The views expressed here are the author’s own.