Black Hills Energy continues focus on both customer and employee health and safety in response to Covid-19 | South Dakota

Rapid City, SD– March 20, 2020 – Black Hills Energy’s number one priority is the continued safety of our customers, employees and communities. We continue actively monitoring the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation and have measures in place to ensure we continue to serve our customers in a way that is safe for everyone.

“Black Hills Energy take the health and safety of our customers and employees very seriously and are committed to making practical decisions to appropriately protect all parties as our communities deal with the COVID-19 threat,” states Marc Eyre, Black Hills Energy director of electric operations for South Dakota. “We continue to closely monitor the frequently evolving environment and assess our processes alongside those developments.”

We continues to work closely with local health, public safety and government officials to minimize the spread of COVID-19 and minimize the impact of service to customers. Some of the actions the company has taken include:

Black Hills Energy is temporarily suspending nonpayment disconnections for our customers. We realize that due to possible extended periods of isolation, customers may face financial hardships effecting their ability to timely pay their energy bills. Please visit www.blackhillsenergy.com/ to explore options to assist in those hardships.
To minimize the potential spreading of COVID-19 Black Hills Energy will be asking customers who have had a fever, dry cough or been diagnosed with the virus in the last 48 hours to consider postponing non-emergency service calls.
Crews will continue to respond to all emergency calls and will be wearing appropriate personal protective equipment and following health practices as recommended by the CDC and other health organizations.
Employee travel has been limited to mission critical purposes.
A work from home policy has been implemented for all employees who are able to do so.
Paid leave is being provided for employees who test positive or are put under quarantine.
All on-site meetings with consultants and gathering of over 10 people have been postponed and electronic communications are encouraged when possible.

Black Hills Energy is committed to serving the needs of our customers while also having the privilege and responsibility of providing an essential service that our communities rely on. The company will continue to do its part to reduce the spread of the virus and take action as needed to support the health and safety of its employees, customers and communities.