Clean Energy Fuels Corp. officials said they should take over CNG station management responsibilities from National Grid in early spring with implementation of “a thorough transition plan” with existing CNG fleet customers. Clean Energy also said it would expand the station network.

The California-based natural gas transportation fueling company will operate and maintain National Grid’s existing stations, sell CNG to third parties, upgrade the on-site equipment to increase vehicle fueling capacity for growth in National Grid’s CNG-powered truck fleet, and work with the global energy delivery company to continue to expand the CNG vehicle market, a spokesperson for Clean Energy said.

Existing National Grid stations number eight in New York (four each in New York City and on Long Island), three in Massachusetts and two in Rhode Island.

“The agreement provides the ability to maintain or improve the high levels of service to third-party vehicle fleets and provides National Grid with a consistent approach to station maintenance and operations throughout the utility’s service territory,” said a Clean Energy spokesperson, noting that National Grid’s stations in the Boston, Cape Cod and Providence areas of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, respectively, represent Seal Beach, CA-based Clean Energy’s initial entry into those two state markets for natural gas-powered transportation.

National Grid provides all the natural gas used to produce CNG on-site at the stations. Current fuel requirements exceed the equivalent of 750,000 gallons of gasoline annually.

National Grid Executive Vice President Nickolas Stavropoulos said the utility agreed to the management contract with Clean Energy “after an extensive process of review and analysis that took into account their qualifications, experience and resources in this field.” Stavropoulos said Clean Energy should provide more options to existing customers and line up new customers.

National Grid’s existing station network includes “important strategic fueling locations” for CNG-powered vehicles, said James Harger, Clean Energy’s chief marketing officer. They already serve what Harger called “large numbers” of vehicles among refuse operations, trucking firms and New York taxi and shuttle services.

“The formation and continued development of this CNG station network is a direct response to the growing demand for clean, green natural gas fuel that we have observed in the Northeast region, as fleet operators deploy increasing numbers of CNG vehicles,” Harger said.

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