KNBN NewsCenter1 May 14, 2021 RAPID CITY, S.D. — Widespread extreme cold during Winter Storm Uri in February 2021 caused a demand for natural gas, which increased fuel and purchased power costs necessary to generate and deliver electricity to customers. Black Hills Energy says they have received permission from the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission to recover those cold weather energy costs over the next year, beginning on June 1, 2021. “The financial well-being of our customers is important to us and we recognize how these additional costs can impact a family budget” said Marc Eyre, vice president of South Dakota electric operations. “We remain committed to supporting reasonable energy costs. Spreading the cost over the course of 12 months will result in a lessened impact to customers’ bills,” said Eyre.