Black Hills Corporation

{{Infobox Company Black Hills Corporation logo.svg Type Public Genre Energy Company Founded 1941 Founder(s) J. B. French Headquarters Rapid City, South Dakota, United States Key people David R. Emery (Chairman, President, CEO) Revenue increaseUS$1.31B (FY 2010)[1] Operating income increaseUS$186M (FY 2010)[1] Net income increaseUS$68.7M (FY 2010)[1] Total assets increaseUS$3.71B (FY 2010)[2] Total equity increaseUS$1.10B (FY 2010)[2] Subsidiaries Black Hills Power Cheyenne Light, Fuel & Power Black Hills Energy Wyodak Resource BH Exploration and Production Enserco Energy Website blackhillscorp.com

| name             = Black Hills Corporation
| logo             = 
| type             = Public
| genre            = Energy Company
| foundation       = 1941
| founder          = J. B. French
| location_city    = Rapid City, South Dakota
| location_country = United States
| location         = 
| locations        = 
| area_served      = 
| key_people       = David R. Emery (Chairman, President, CEO)
| industry         = 
| products         = 
| services         = 
| revenue = US$1.31B (FY 2010)[1]
| operating_income = US$186M (FY 2010)[1]
| net_income = US$68.7M (FY 2010)[1]
| assets = US$3.71B (FY 2010)[2]
| equity = US$1.10B (FY 2010)[2]
| owner            = 
| num_employees    = 
| parent           = 
| divisions        = 
| subsid           = Black Hills Power
Cheyenne Light, Fuel & Power
Black Hills Energy
Wyodak Resource
BH Exploration and Production
Enserco Energy
| slogan           = 
| homepage         = blackhillscorp.com
| footnotes        = 
| intl             = 

}} Black Hills Corporation (NYSE: BKH) 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.

History

The company traces its roots to 1883 and the organization of the Black Hills Electric Light 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.^[3]

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.^[4]

Components

The company is the electric utility for 64,200 customers between Rapid City, South Dakota and New Castle, Wyoming as well as southeastern Montana via its Black Hills Power subsidiary.^[5]

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.^[6]

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.^[7] The mine has permitted reserves of 286 million tons.

In addition it claims 169 billion cubic feet (4.8×10⁹ m³) in oil and gas reserves(76% of which is natural gas) principally in New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Black Hills (BKH) annual SEC income statement filing via Wikinvest.
2. ^ ^{a b} Black Hills (BKH) annual SEC balance sheet filing via Wikinvest.
3. ^ Abrahamson, Eric John. Improving Life With Energy, The First 125 Years of Black Hills Corporation. Vantage Point Historical Services. 2008. ISBN 0-9796389-1-7.
4. ^ Daly, Dan (February 10, 2008). "BH Corp.: Aquila deal to close in second quarter". Rapid City Journal. http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2008/02/10/news/local/doc47ac95761ca11954226405.txt. Retrieved 2008-03-28. 
5. ^ "About BHP". Black Hills Power. http://www.blackhillspower.com/about.htm. Retrieved 2008-03-28. 
6. ^ "Power Generation". Black Hills Corporation. http://www.blackhillsenergy.com/powergen.htm. Retrieved 2008-03-28. ^{[dead link]}
7. ^ "Wyodak Resources". Black Hills Corporation. http://www.wyodak.com/. Retrieved 2008-03-28.