The University of Massachusetts is switching the Central Heating Plant at its Amherst campus from oil to a liquefied natural gas system, a project that could provide $2 million of fuel cost savings annually, according to the university’s five-year capital plan. The $1.2 million project, which is going into operations this month, will allow the plant to end its practice of burning oil when winter conditions cause gas curtailments, according to The Massachusetts Daily Collegian. The plant will rely primarily on natural gas from Tennessee Gas Pipeline‘s Northampton Lateral.

Clean Energy Fuels Corp. said Wednesday it is nearly done with the first stage of a nationwide network of liquefied natural gas (LNG) fueling stations for long-haul trucks. The project was launched last year (see Daily GPI, Aug. 25, 2011). A Flying J LNG fueling station is to be completed this month in Matthews, MO, and at that point Clean Energy will have completed 70 of the 150 fueling spots slated for the national network, according to CEO Andrew Littlefair. The initiative is to have LNG truck fueling along the nation’s transportation corridors. A station locator is be available by the end of this year at www.cnglngstations.com. Many of the stations are at existing Pilot-Flying J truck stops; Pilot has 550 retail properties in 47 states. Highway segments now completed include the Los Angeles-to-Atlanta corridor; Atlanta-to-Chicago-to-Texas; and segments in the Midwest and Northeast corridors. There is now at least one station in 30 states, according to the Clean Energy.

©Copyright 2012Intelligence Press Inc. All rights reserved. The preceding news reportmay not be republished or redistributed, in whole or in part, in anyform, without prior written consent of Intelligence Press, Inc.