Encana Natural Gas Inc., a subsidiary of Encana Corp., on Tuesday opened its first natural gas fleet fueling station for public use in Wyoming. Fleet vehicles and drilling equipment will both be using compressed natural gas (CNG), and other fleet-based stations already operating in the state will open for public use.

Located at the Pit Stop Travel Center in Riverton, the new station will serve the fueling needs of Encana’s own fleet, the local Help for Health Hospice and Central Wyoming College, along with being open to public use. It is another example of the gas for transportation market having a resurgence with the increased amount of domestic supplies coming with the expanded shale plays around the United States.

In other developed parts of the world, such as Germany, the emphasis for moving away from traditional gasoline is more focused on renewables, such as electric vehicles (EV) and hydrogen, rather than natural gas because there are no abundant new sources of the fuel being developed at this point, some officials in Berlin told NGI this week. But natural gas infrastructure continues to get a boost for the coming decade or so of transitioning to mostly EVs. In contrast, Encana sees its CNG ventures as contributing to badly needed jobs growth in the United States.

“In building this infrastructure, we are helping to reenergize the American economy. Up to 35,000 jobs are created with every 1% increase in North America’s natural gas production,” said Eric Marsh, executive vice president of Encana Corp. “Along with reducing emissions and building employment, natural gas is the truly domestic answer to lessen our fuel costs, which impacts all our business. This station is an important step along the road to a secure energy portfolio for North America and a cleaner tomorrow.

“Encana is committed to lead by example. We plan to convert about 20 more vehicles in our Wyoming fleet this year to run on clean natural gas,” said John Schmidt, operations field leader, Wind River Production Operations, Encana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc.

Schmidt said the leading North American gas producer also is using natural gas to power four of its drilling rigs in Wyoming. In addition, the company plans to convert its entire vehicle fleet in North America to run on natural gas over the next four years, he said.

Encana and other users expect to realize significant fuel cost savings, up to 30% over the life of each vehicle, and Encana’s station expects to contribute to the growing natural gas fueling infrastructure already established in Wyoming, including stations in Marbleton and Pinedale that are also expected to open to the public in the near future.

Encana said it is also sponsoring a natural gas vehicle repair and maintenance program at Western Wyoming Community College in Rock Springs, slated to be open for enrollment next year. Encana is also working with local automotive dealers and service providers to provide installation and service support for conversion of vehicles to run on CNG.

Sold on a gasoline gallon equivalent (GGE) basis, CNG’s opening price at the Riverton station will be $1.96/GGE, an Encana spokesperson said. This compares to an average price of $3.49/gal of gasoline in Wyoming.

©Copyright 2011Intelligence 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.