PENNSYLVANIA WASTE HAULER DEUTS $4.8 MILLION CNG PROJECT

During a ceremony that included over 100 attendees, the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority (LCSWMA) held a dedication and grand opening of its $4.8 million CNG project in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. LCSWMA’s CNG project includes 14 new Peterbilt transfer trucks with Cummins-Westport ISX-12G engines, costing around $2.2 million. LCSWMA purchased the fleet in 2013 and transitioned them into operation last month. The trucks transfer waste from LCSWMA’s Transfer Station in Lancaster to its waste-to-energy facilities in Bainbridge and Harrisburg, as well as to its landfill in Conestoga. Previously, LCSWMA used diesel-powered trucks that consumed an average of 140,000 gallons of diesel fuel annually. LCSWMA received a $350,000 grant from the PA Department of Environmental Protection (PA-DEP), as part of their Pennsylvania Natural Gas Energy Development Program, to help offset the incremental cost of the vehicles.

To support its new fleet, LCSMWA installed CNG fueling infrastructure at its Transfer Station Complex. While LCSWMA will use a time-fill system with 18 hoses for its fleet, this project also includes a fast-fill system with four dispensers for waste haulers and other select fleets. Total cost for construction of the dual-station CNG fueling infrastructure was about $2.6 million. This is the first system of its kind in Lancaster County. LCSWMA contracted with Clean Energy Fuels to design and construct the CNG fueling stations, as well as to provide multi-year operations and maintenance services. So far, LCSWMA has agreements with Good’s Disposal, the City of Lancaster and PA-DEP, as well in discussions with Clean Energy, UGI and several other commercial fleets to use the CNG fast-fill station. Currently, LCSWMA’s price to customers for CNG is $2.23 per GGE.