NGVAmerica News Week in Review: December 11, 2017

• 20^th ampCNG Fueling Station Opens in Texas
• Ultimate CNG to Fuel New UPS CNG Trucks in Texas
• Chicago Area Clean Cities Recognizes Top Green Fleets for 2017
• NGVi Introduces New CNG Fuel System Design and Installation Training
• Clean Energy Backs New Renewable Fuel Standard
• Aria Energy Expands Renewable Natural Gas Business
• IVECO BUS to Supply Natural Gas Buses to the City of Paris
• Crowley Launches Newest LNG-Fueled ConRo Ship Taíno

 

20^th ampCNG Fueling Station Opens in Texas

December 5, 2017

AMP Americas, a North American RNG producer and marketer, has broken ground on a new public-access ampCNG fueling station in Buda, Texas, with US Foods serving as the station’s anchor fleet.

Located adjacent to the US Foods distribution center in Buda, the fast-fill CNG station will have two dual-hose dispensers serving two lanes. The station is expected to open by February 2018 and will fuel US Foods’ Buda-based fleet of 50 CNG trucks.

“We are proud to partner with one of the country’s largest foodservice distributors and to help US Foods improve air quality with a much cleaner, more cost effective, domestic fuel,” said Grant Zimmerman, CEO at AMP Americas. “Support from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has been instrumental in helping us bring this station to Buda.”

The new station marks ampCNG’s eighth in Texas, bringing its total station network to 20. The company’s other stations in Texas are located in Amarillo, Harrold, Waco, Brock, Rosenberg, Sweetwater and Kerrville.

AMP Americas, which has just been awarded a Carbon Intensity (CI) score of -254.94 gCO2e/MJ by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), continues to expand its national footprint and to invest heavily in dairy RNG projects across the country to bring more ultra-low CI gas to market. Construction is currently underway for the company’s second RNG project using dairy digester gas. The company plans to more than double its dairy gas output by mid-2018, and aims to deliver ampRenew, its 100 percent RNG, to all 20 of its ampCNG fueling stations as it brings on future projects.

 

Ultimate CNG to Fuel New UPS CNG Trucks in Texas

December 5, 2017

Ultimate CNG, provider of emergency, temporary and long-term CNG deliveries, has been selected to provide daily fueling to the UPS fleet of 60 new CNG trucks at the UPS Fort Worth, Texas facility. Ultimate CNG will provide the daily CNG fueling service until the UPS Fort Worth permanent CNG station is completed and operational.

“With the holiday season upon us, UPS is at their busiest peak demand,” said Dennis Pick, CEO of Ultimate CNG. “We are gratified to have been chosen to help UPS during this stressful period, supplying them a flexible, dependable and economic mobile CNG delivery service.”

Ultimate CNG is performing the UPS daily delivery service with several of its CNG tankers, along with its mobile CNG FuelMule—a self-contained mobile CNG station with on-board storage and compressor delivering CNG on a fast-fill basis, requiring no on-site natural gas or electric power connections.

 

Chicago Area Clean Cities Recognizes Top Green Fleets for 2017

December 8, 2017

The Chicago Area Clean Cities Coalition has announced its Green Fleet Leadership Award winners for 2017, companies and government agencies that are leading in the adoption of alternative fuels and clean-vehicle technologies for their fleets. The Green Fleet Leadership Award winners were recently named at the coalition’s end of the year meeting.

The awards are given annually to commercial or government fleets that take actions to locally reduce petroleum consumption and improve air quality, such as by using cleaner-burning alternative-fuel vehicles or other advanced technologies.

“The fleets we’re recognizing range from using compressed natural gas to propane to plug-in electric and hybrid vehicles, all with the goals of saving fuel, reducing emissions and saving money,” said John W. Walton, chair of Chicago Area Clean Cities. “The fleets that we have selected operate in the Chicagoland area and are terrific examples for others to follow to learn about the advantages of clean-vehicle technologies.”

Commercial fleets receiving Green Fleet Leadership Awards operating natural gas vehicles include:

Peapod: Peapod is a grocery delivery service providing customers with delivery access to fresh and health groceries. They have shown a large commitment to adopting alternative fuels for their delivery vehicles. Peapod operates two heavy-duty CNG vehicles. Last year the Peapod’s CNG vehicles increased their CNG use by 87 percent (8,268 GGEs).

Waste Management: In 2016, Waste Management’s CNG vehicles displaced more than 1 million GGEs of petroleum-based fuel in the Chicagoland area by using cleaner-burning CNG fuel. Across the U.S., Waste Management’s fleet includes more than 6,000 natural gas trucks, the largest heavy duty truck fleet of its kind in North America.

“We are excited to accept the Green Fleet Leadership award from Chicago Area Clean Cities,” said Scott Zielinski, fleet director for Waste Management of Illinois, Inc. “In the Chicago area, we are utilizing 220 natural-gas vehicles to service our customers with another 20-plus to be added in early 2018. We take a lot of pride in providing solutions that support safer, greener, and cleaner communities.”

 

NGVi Introduces New CNG Fuel System Design and Installation Training

December 7, 2017

NGVi has introduced a new training intended for design engineers, installation technicians and quality assurance teams that provides the instruction and comprehensive learning necessary to design and install CNG fuel systems that will comply with all applicable safety codes and standards.

The course teaches students about all CNG fuel system components and their functions as well as how to treat CNG cylinders during the fuel system installation process, and how to assess potential damage that may occur prior to or during installation. Special emphasis is placed on properly understanding and applying the codes and standards governing CNG fuel system installation.

For more information and to register, visit the NGVi website.

 

Clean Energy Backs New Renewable Fuel Standard

December 4, 2017

Clean Energy Fuels President and CEO Andrew J. Littlefair made the following statement regarding the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) final rule on the 2018 renewable volume obligations (RVOs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard which included 288 million gallons of cellulosic biofuel.

“Last week the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) upheld its commitment to the Renewable Fuel Standard, and particularly renewable natural gas (RNG), thereby giving the market a clear sign of confidence which will result in its continued growth. This action sent a very positive message to those who produce, sell and consume RNG.

Clean Energy has grown its Redeem RNG branded fuel from 13 million gallons in 2013 to an anticipated 75 million gallons in 2017. More and more fleet customers around the country are enjoying the ease and economics of making a positive impact on the environment and reducing dangerous greenhouse gas emissions by using Redeem.

In its rule the EPA also noted that with the high increase in RNG production and demand, that they were confident the industry could meet the target obligations.”

Redeem is derived from biogenic methane or biogas, which is methane that is naturally generated by the decomposition of organic waste. The methane gas is then processed, purified and sent into the interstate natural gas pipeline and transported to Clean Energy’s and its customers’ stations.

 

Aria Energy Expands Renewable Natural Gas Business

December 6, 2017

Aria Energy has purchased a 50 percent interest in Mavrix, LLC, from BP, and will work with the global oil and gas company to market and distribute renewable natural gas to U.S. customers.

Under terms of the acquisition, Aria has assumed full responsibility for operations, maintenance and administration of the Mavrix operating facilities in Canton, Michigan, and North Shelby, Tennessee, and will continue development, engineering and construction of new facilities in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Atlanta, Georgia. BP will provide marketing and distribution services to get the RNG into the marketplace.

The partnership comes after BP acquired Mavrix, LLC, in a March 2017 deal to purchase the upstream portion of Clean Energy Fuels’s RNG business.

“We are thrilled to partner with BP on these projects and other opportunities going forward,” said Richard DiGia, Aria Energy’s president and chief executive officer. “This is a positive step for our company and the RNG industry.”

Landfill Gas (LFG) is produced naturally as waste decomposes and consists of roughly 50 percent methane. Landfills above a certain size are required to install a collection system to transport the gas to a collection facility. After collection, the Mavrix facilities convert the LFG to RNG, which is used as a fuel for natural gas vehicle fleets, including heavy duty trucks. Use of this low-carbon fuel results in approximately 70 percent lower greenhouse gas emissions than from equivalent gasoline or diesel fueled vehicles.

 

IVECO BUS to Supply Natural Gas Buses to the City of Paris

December 6, 2017

RATP (Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens), the French state-owned public transport operator for the city of Paris, France, has awarded IVECO BUS with one of the lots in a Europe-wide call for long-term collaboration between 2017 to 2021. The agreement will involve the supply of up to 200 Urbanway Natural Power buses, equipped to run on CNG and RNG.

IVECO BUS is the European leader in natural gas buses, with some 6,000 buses currently in service across the continent. The alternative fuel technology offered by the company’s product line-up has been chosen by RATP for its benefits in terms of environmental impact and cost. IVECO BUS Natural Power product range guarantees air quality, quiet running and a neutral carbon footprint, making it a practical step towards the energy transition taking place in the public transport sector.

Other major cities which have already adopted gas-powered public transit fleets include Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan; Bari in southern Italy; Brno, the second largest city in the Czech Republic by population and area; Girona in northeastern Spain; Lille, Montpellier, Nantes and Valence, all in France.

 

Crowley Launches Newest LNG-Fueled ConRo Ship Taíno

December 6, 2017

VT Halter Marine has launched Crowley Maritime’s second Commitment Class ship, Taíno, one of the world’s first combination container/roll on-roll off (ConRo) ships powered by LNG.

The launch of the ship took place in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and marks the latest achievement in Crowley’s transformation and modernization of its shipping and logistics services between Jacksonville, Florida, and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Taíno will now proceed through the final topside construction and testing phase before beginning service in the U.S. Jones Act trade in 2018. She will join sister ship, El Coquí, which was launched earlier this year and is now in final testing prior to entering service in early 2018.

“Monday’s launch represents another momentous achievement for the men and women at Crowley, VT Halter Marine and other partners,” said Tom Crowley, company chairman and CEO. “We appreciate their hard work, and look forward to putting these modern, environmentally-friendly ships into service for our customers and the people of Puerto Rico.”

Fueling the ships with LNG will reduce emissions significantly, including a 100-percent reduction in sulphur oxide (SOx) and particulate matter (PM); a 92-percent reduction in nitrogen oxide (NOx); and a reduction of carbon dioxide (CO₂) of more than 35 percent per container, compared with current fossil fuels.

In Jacksonville, Crowley and Eagle LNG Partners also are completing final testing of the tanks and systems associated with the LNG Fuel Depot at JAXPORT’s Talleyrand Marine Terminal, which will serve as the fueling station for the new ships. The depot features two 260-ton, cryogenic LNG tanks, constructed by Chart Industries in Europe.