Clean Energy: 27 natural gas stations opened so far in 2014

Clean Energy Fuels announced the completion and opening of 27 natural gas fueling stations in the first half of the year, nine of which are truck-friendly America’s Natural Gas Highway stations.

Upgraded equipment and additional compression capacity have also been added to 10 existing stations to keep pace with growing natural gas fuel demand. Additional fueling and station development agreements representative of Clean Energy’s growing portfolio of natural gas fueling customers were also announced.

To support this growing natural gas fleet, Clean Energy will open its Albany, Ga., public-access LNG station and Raven Transport will expand the fueling agreement by deploying 33 additional heavy-duty LNG trucks to serve the Southeast. Raven is currently fueling at Clean Energy’s natural gas fueling stations in Franklin, Ohio; London, Ohio; Walton, Ky.; and Jacksonville, Fla.

Once fully deployed, these additional vehicles are forecasted to consume over 700,000 DGEs of LNG annually, and are expected to be on the road in December 2014.

G & P Trucking of Gaston, S.C., scheduled a deployment of five heavy-duty natural gas trucks and the fleet is expected to double to 10 trucks by the end of 2014.

Clean Energy will support this natural gas fleet by opening its Charlotte, N.C., America’s Natural Gas Highway station this month. This station in conjunction with Clean Energy’s Latta, S.C., station bolsters the region’s LNG capability to serve key goods-movements hubs in the Southeast such as the South Carolina Ports Authority.

“More of our customers are pursuing natural gas fueling solutions to meet sustainability goals. As Clean Energy continues to open its natural gas highway you can bet our trucks will be fueling on it,” said Clifton Parker, president of G & P Trucking.

Parkway School District in Chesterfield, Mo., purchased a compressor and two fast-fuel CNG dispensers from Clean Energy’s IMW subsidiary to service the district’s fleet of 30 CNG school buses at its private compressed natural gas station. The station is forecasted to supply approximately 75,000 DGEs of CNG annually.

Cost of the CNG station and school buses was offset by a $1.5 million federal highway grant administered by the East-West Gateway Council of Governments.

“Using CNG for our buses contributes to the economic and environmental health of the Parkway School District. To ensure CNG will consistently support our transportation mission, we have chosen Clean Energy to maintain our station equipment,” said Scott Bennett, manager of planning & engineering, Parkway School District.

Ontario’s natural gas station features both public-access and private fueling facilities. 48 time-fill posts with 96 fueling points fuel the Ontario-Montclair School District’s fleet of school buses and the city’s refuse truck fleet. The private station also includes four fast-fueling points. Two fast-fueling points are available to the public.

The station is forecasted to supply approximately 500,000 GGEs of CNG per year. This represents an approximate greenhouse gas emissions reduction of 1,054 metric tons.

Press Release, August 5, 2014: Image: Clean Energy