Black Hills Energy Announces Completion Of 260 Mile Transmission Expansion

Black Hills Energy on Thursday announced the completion of a 260 mile electric transmission project known as Ready Wyoming.

The 260 mile expansion runs from near the Wyoming-Nebraska border, through the Cheyenne area and then up to near Casper [see map]

Map Of The Project

The project cost about $350 million. According to the news release, it includes the following: "one new substation, two replacement substations, four expanded substations, three new 230 kilovolt (kV) transmission lines, and two new 115kV transmission lines. Ready Wyoming establishes an independent transmission system for Black Hills Energy and materially reduces third-party transmission expenses."

“With Ready Wyoming, we are powering the future with safe, reliable and cost-effective energy for our customers,” said Wes Ashton, vice president of Wyoming and South Dakota Utilities. “Our customers depend on us to deliver the energy they need to power their homes and businesses. Critical to this process is the transmission system and its vast network of powerlines and substations.”

Construction on the project started in 2023 and wrapped up in late 2025. A 2022 study by the University of Wyoming Center for Economic and Business Analysis estimated the following economic impacts from the project as follows

1,367 construction jobs • Over $100 million value added during construction • Over $8 million in state and local tax revenue attributed to construction expenses • Approximately $570,000 annually to Wyoming’s regional economy • More than $76,000 in annual state and local tax revenue.