Black Hills Corp.’s Busch Ranch II Wind Farm and Natural Bridge Pipeline begin commercial operation

Black Hills Corp. announced Tuesday that its 60-megawatt Busch Ranch II wind project in southern Colorado and the 35-mile Natural Bridge pipeline in eastern Wyoming have begun commercial operations.

Black Hills Corp.’s power generation segment, Black Hills Electric Generation, LLC, developed the $71 million Busch Ranch II wind project for its affiliate electric utility, Colorado Electric. The project is located on 13,000 acres in Huerfano and Las Animas Counties south of Pueblo, Colo. All of the energy produced by Busch Ranch II will be delivered to Colorado Electric through a 25-year power purchase agreement.

Wyoming Gas’ $54 million, 12-inch steel Natural Bridge pipeline connects to new supply points near Douglas, Wyo., and interconnects to existing facilities near Casper, Wyo. The new pipeline will enhance the reliability of supply and provide additional capacity for approximately 57,000 customers in central Wyoming, according to Black Hills Corp.

“These two projects showcase our commitment to cleaner energy and reliability,” Linden “Linn” R. Evans, president and CEO of Black Hills Corp., said. “The Colorado wind project continues our 21st-century generation model of clean energy development. For over a decade, we have been modernizing our electric system and growing our renewable energy portfolio to build one of the cleanest energy grids in Colorado, fueled by wind, solar, and natural gas generation. The new Wyoming pipeline provides additional capacity and access to new supply to ensure that Black Hills can cost-effectively meet long-term demand for our natural gas customers in the Casper and Riverton areas of Wyoming.”