Black Hills Electric Co-Op

About

Black Hills Electric Cooperative has been a part of South Dakota history for more than 60 years. It is headquartered in Custer, South Dakota. BHEC is a rural electric cooperative serving more than 6,800 members in six counties across 5,000 square-miles of southwestern South Dakota and the Black Hills. It all began in 1940 when a rancher named Fred Root requested electrical service from the investor-owned power company in the area. Discouraged by the prohibitive cost of transformers and other charges required to provide electricity, Root and his neighbors organized BHEC at Hill City.