BRIEFINGS · Energy and the electrical grid
Black Hills signs on to power Google's planned Wyoming data center, with 564 MW of new gas generation
Black Hills will spend $1.8 billion on 564 MW of new gas generation and manage about 2.1 GW of Wyoming resources to serve Google's planned Cheyenne site.
On 6 October Black Hills Corp., a utility based in South Dakota, said it signed definitive agreements to serve a planned Google data center in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The agreements took effect on 30 September and run through 2048. Black Hills said the site is expected to start taking power in late 2027 and reach its peak load in 2030.
How the power gets there. Black Hills said the project will draw on a resource mix of 2.7 GW, including reserve margins. It will provide up to 590 MW of grid service, mostly from 564 MW of new natural gas generation it plans to build at its existing Cheyenne Prairie Generating Station for $1.8 billion between 2027 and 2029. It will also manage about 2.1 GW of power from other Wyoming generators, under contract to the project, through a private microgrid.
Who pays. Black Hills said Google bears all costs of serving the data center for the life of the project, so the cost does not shift to other customers. Google has already advanced $399 million, which Black Hills will repay, to secure long lead-time equipment.
Why we file it. Google is one of the cloud providers whose data center growth drives demand for firm power, and it is already green on the map. This is the second utility contract for a Google data center in a week, after Michigan regulators approved DTE contracts on 1 October, and it came the same day as Google's nuclear deal with Constellation. Google stays green; Black Hills is not on the map, so no new link is added.
How we read it. Meaningful. The contract is confirmed and long, and Google is carrying the cost. Google has not published its own statement, and neither company disclosed the size of the data center or prices. Power arrives in steps from late 2027, and some siting and transmission filings are still pending.
What would change this. Google confirming the site's size or its own spending would firm it up. Delays to the gas plant, the transmission filings or the 2027 start would weaken it.
What this evidence does not establish
Google has not published its own statement, and the data center's size and Google's spending on it were not disclosed. Contract prices were not disclosed. Service starts in late 2027 and ramps to peak load in 2030. The 2.7 GW figure includes reserve margins and about 2.1 GW of third-party resources that Black Hills manages but does not own. Some siting and transmission filings are still pending. Share-price moves are excluded.
What to watch next
- A Google statement on the Cheyenne site's size or spending
- Wyoming decisions on the pending siting permit and transmission filings
- Construction start on the 564 MW gas plant in 2027
- First power to the site in late 2027, as Black Hills expects
Sources
- Black Hills Corp. Executes Definitive Agreements to Serve Google's Planned Data Center in Cheyenne, Wyoming6 October 2026
- Black Hills plans $1.8 billion investment to power Google's data center6 October 2026
Every figure above comes from these sources. Briefings are generated and published automatically from cited sources without individual human review before publication, with corrections noted by date. Nothing here is a recommendation to buy or sell anything, and Acts of Evolution is not an investment adviser. See the disclosures.
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