Encana Corp. has commissioned the Cavalier liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in Alberta, considered one of the keys to bring higher volumes of natural gas to heavy-duty trucking and other fleets in Western Canada and elsewhere.

The Calgary-based producer has been involved in compressed natural gas (CNG) and LNG fueling for fleets for several years. It owns and operates an LNG fueling station in Louisiana, 10 mobile LNG fueling stations and seven compressed CNG stations (see Daily GPI, March 26, 2012; April 6, 2011). Encana also powers some of its drilling rigs in Colorado and Wyoming with CNG.

“There is a very strong value proposition for natural gas use in the transportation sector, given that the fuel is 20-40% less expensive than gasoline or diesel, in many regions,” said Encana Executive Vice President Eric Marsh.

The first customers of Encana’s Cavalier facility include Calgary’s Ferus Inc., an energy services company, as well as Canadian National Railway Co. (CN). CN is testing two mainline diesel-electric locomotives fueled mostly by natural gas, which Encana is providing (see Daily GPI, Oct. 1, 2012).

The Cavalier facility is to receive feedstock from Encana’s nearby Cavalier gas plant. Gas would be treated to remove impurities and to cool the gas, which then would be stored in cryogenic tanks on-site for truck fueling or bulk-tanker loading.

Encana also is working on another LNG production facility that would be near Grande Prairie, AB.

©Copyright 2013Intelligence 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.