SourceGas is now Black Hills Energy

SourceGas is now Black Hills Energy, as Black Hills announced Friday its successful acquisition of SourceGas, the natural gas utility serving 429,000 customers in Arkansas, Colorado, Nebraska and Wyoming.

With the acquisition of Source Gas, Black Hills Energy will now serve 1.2 million electric and natural gas customers in 800 communities across eight rocky mountain and mid-continent states, said Shirley Welte, the new vice president of operations for Black Hills Energy’s Wyoming utilities. Welte replaces Mark Stege, who was promoted to vice president of customer service for Black Hills Corp., based in Rapid City, SD. 

“Black Hills Energy is excited to serve our new customers with safe, reliable energy and to maintain strong local ties that benefit the communities where we live and work,” said Welte.

According to Welte, both companies boasted growth rates that were above average. Black Hills Energy had its roots in the Black Hills of South Dakota beginning in 1883 with electric utility services. Today, the company is a publicly traded company as BKH. According to Welte, the acquisition helps shareholders as well as customers.

“We look forward to putting our company’s 130-year history of utility expertise and exceptional performance levels to good use for the more than 123,000 natural gas and electric customers we now serve in Wyoming,” said Welte, who is based in Cheyenne and has been with Black Hills Energy since 2012. She was previously a general manager for a Midwest-based utility.

The former SourceGas will immediately begin operating under the Black Hills Energy name. Customers should continue to use SourceGas contacts and locations for bill payment, service questions and emergencies. The customer service and emergencies number remains 800-563-0012.

According to Welte, there will be a transition in coming months but customers will be notified. Beginning in March, SourceGas customers will start to see the Black Hills Energy logo alongside the SourceGas logo on their bills and the new customer website, www.SourceGasIsBlackHills.com, while the companies integrate employees and customer service systems. The Black Hills Energy logo will replace the SourceGas logo on buildings, company vehicles, employee uniforms and more. All rates should remain the same, Welte said.