Fuels

Another link in the national natural gas highway was established recently when Seal Beach, CA-based Clean Energy Fuels Corp. opened a liquefied natural gas (LNG) fueling station in Seville, OH. The public station will support an expanding fleet of LNG trucks by Dillon Transport, a major contract freight carrier serving Owens Corning. The station is on property owned by Pilot Flying J Truck Travel Centers, a partner with Clean Energy in establishing the natural gas network for long-haul truck operators (see Daily GPI, Aug. 25, 2011). The Ohio LNG station received a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy as part of the federal stimulus program under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The station will support Dillon-operated trucks delivering raw materials to Owens Corning production plants that produce residential and commercial building materials.

Navistar Inc., a major manufacturer of medium- and heavy-duty trucks, and natural gas transportation fuel and infrastructure leader Clean Energy Fuels Corp. said Wednesday their new strategic partnership will make it easier for truck fleet operators to switch to vehicles powered by either compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Seal Beach, CA-based Clean Energy Fuels Corp. on Friday applauded President Obama for his support of natural gas in the transportation sector, which he underscored this week in his State of the Union address.

Seal Beach, CA-based Clean Energy Fuels Corp. has identified 32 more locations in 22 states for its “America’s Natural Gas Highway” series of liquefied natural gas (LNG) long-haul truck fueling stations (see Daily GPI, Jan. 17). The locations range from Arkansas to Wisconsin, and Florida to Washington state. Clean Energy now has specified 98 locations in 37 states. The company raised $450 million last year to help fund its development of a national LNG/CNG transportation fueling network (see Daily GPI, Aug. 29, 2011).

Seal Beach, CA-based Clean Energy Fuels Corp. said Friday it had completed 50% more fueling stations last year than in 2010 and it plans to accelerate its development program this year.

California-based Clean Energy Fuels Corp.’s compressed natural gas (CNG) conversion kit manufacturer, BAF, has received clearance from California air quality regulators to sell its 2012 dedicated CNG Ford Motor Co. Transit Connect taxis in the state. The certification from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) is effective immediately, according to Dallas-based BAF. In this case CNG is used in traditional gasoline internal combustion engines that BAF modifies to operate on natural gas (see Daily GPI, Sept. 27). As a Clean Energy subsidiary, BAF has been certified by Ford to convert standard Transit Connect taxis to run on CNG. BAF said it already has CARB authorizations for other 2012 utility and shuttle models, and it has federal Environmental Protection Agency authorization for CNG-powered versions of Ford vans, shuttles and pickup trucks.

Seal Beach, CA-based Clean Energy Fuels Corp. pushed ahead in three states with new natural gas fueling infrastructure. As part of an ongoing partnership, Clean Energy is spreading the use of compressed natural gas (CNG), operating and maintaining 14 fueling stations in upstate New York to support the 450-vehicle fleet of utility operator National Grid. In Connecticut, Clean Energy opened a station in West Haven at the headquarters of Metro Taxi, Connecticut’s largest full-service taxicab company. By the end of this year the taxi operator expects to have 110 CNG cabs in its fleet. And in Illinois, Clean Energy is working with Peoria Disposal Co., the city’s residential waste and recycling hauler, to build another CNG commercial fueling station in the city of Peoria. The station will serve as headquarters for 12 new CNG-powered trucks operated by the waste hauling firm.

In response to technical advances that have expanded Ohio’s hydrocarbon resource potential, The Ohio State University (OSU) has created the Subsurface Energy Resource Center (SERC) with a goal to conduct and facilitate relevant shale research.

General Electric on Tuesday introduced a new tool to grow the biogas-fueled on-site generation market that takes advantage of fuels from landfills, wastewater treatment plants and agricultural waste.