Black Hills commits $1.8 billion to power Google’s Cheyenne data center

Black Hills Corp. has signed power service agreements with Google to support a new data center in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The utility plans to spend $1.8 billion between 2027 and 2029 on new natural gas generation to keep the lights, and the servers, on. What Black Hills is building The core of the plan is 564 MW of new natural gas generation capacity. It will be built at the company’s Cheyenne Prairie Generating Station. That new capacity is designed to support up to 590 MW of grid service for Google. The agreements take effect September 30, 2026. The owned generation is only part of the picture. Black Hills will also manage 2.1 GW from third-party resources, delivered through a private microgrid. Add it all up and the total resource mix reaches 2.7 GW, including reserves. The 564 MW of new gas plants Black Hills will own represents about a fifth of that total. Energy delivery is scheduled to begin in late 2027. The arrangement is expected to reach peak capacity by 2030. Google pays, Black Hills profits Google will bear all the associated costs, meaning Black Hills’ other customers should not see added charges tied to the project. The financial projections are substantial for a company...