While acknowledging uncertainty for the rest of the year, Rapid City, SD-based Black Hills Corp. executives reported lighter impacts from Covid-19 in the eight-state utility service territories.

The corporate-wide $2.7 billion, five-year capital expenditure program is moving along, and growth in customers and gross margins for the natural gas and electric utilities have continued in the midst of operational changes prompted by the coronavirus pandemic, CEO Linn Evans said during a 2Q2020 earnings conference call on Tuesday.

Black Hills utilities are eyeing growth in renewable natural gas (RNG) and the renewable-generated electricity program, he said.

“Our service territories, despite Covid-19, continue to grow,” Evans said. “We’re on a record pace, for example, in...