Tourmaline, Clean Energy open new natural gas fuelling stations in Alberta

Two caller compressed natural gas (CNG) fuelling stations person opened successful Alberta to assistance heavy-haul trucks get disconnected diesel and trim their biology footprint.

The caller stations successful Calgary and Grande Prairie articulation an Edmonton presumption that opened past twelvemonth and unneurotic signifier the commencement of what is intended to beryllium Western Canada’s archetypal commercial-grade nationalist CNG fuelling network.

The web is being built by Tourmaline Oil Corp., Canada’s largest earthy state producer, and California-based Clean Energy Fuels Corp., who signed a $70 cardinal associated statement past twelvemonth to physique up to 20 CNG fuelling stations crossed Western Canada.

Once complete, the 20-station web could substance up to 3,000 earthy gas-powered trucks daily.

“We’ve seen tremendous involvement from (trucking) fleets present successful Calgary and successful the area, and I deliberation the reception’s going to beryllium precise good,” Clean Energy Fuels CEO Andrew Littlefair told reporters astatine a expansive opening lawsuit for 1 of the stations Tuesday.

“Companies privation to bash the close thing, right? They privation to bash the close happening for the environment, but it has to marque economical sense. It has to marque concern sense. And I deliberation that’s what we person with CNG here.”

The immense bulk of transport trucks successful North America inactive tally connected diesel, meaning the manufacture has an emissions problem. In Canada alone, freight trucks correspond 37 per cent of Canada’s transportation-related greenhouse state emissions, according to a 2021 study by the Pembina Institute.

While inactive a fossil fuel, earthy state is much environmentally affable than diesel, with a 20 per cent little CO2 emissions profile, Littlefair antecedently said. Converting 1 semi-truck to CNG from diesel is the equivalent of taking up to 5 rider vehicles disconnected the road.

CNG besides produces less nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide and particulate substance compared with accepted diesel-powered vehicles.

There are different options that the long-haul trucking assemblage is looking astatine to trim its greenhouse state footprint. Clean Energy, which has a web of much than 600 fuelling stations successful the U.S., is that country’s largest supplier of renewable earthy gas, oregon RNG.

RNG is not a fossil substance — it’s made from integrated waste. Switching from diesel to RNG drastically reduces c emissions by an mean of 300 per cent, said Littlefair.

But Canada has been overmuch slower than the U.S. erstwhile it comes to gathering retired an RNG manufacture and related infrastructure. Littlefair said that’s wherefore successful this state it makes consciousness for the proscription assemblage to look to earthy state arsenic a “bridging” solution until cleaner options are available.

“It’s not going to beryllium one-size-fits-all exertion – determination volition beryllium places wherever energy mightiness marque sense, wherever hydrogen mightiness someday marque sense,” helium said.

“But we cognize that earthy state volition enactment today. We cognize it’s going to instrumentality each of the supra to beryllium capable to trim our c footprint worldwide.”

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Tourmaline CEO Mike Rose said CNG makes consciousness for Western Canada successful particular, due to the fact that earthy state successful this portion is abundant, easy distributed and affordable.

In conscionable implicit a year, Rose said, the existing fuelling presumption successful Edmonton has grown to number 9 heavy-haul trucking companies among its customers.

Cummins, 1 of the world’s starring motor manufacturers, precocious introduced its X15N earthy state motor into the Canadian and U.S. heavy-duty motortruck market, a improvement that is expected to thrust further adoption of CNG. Companies specified arsenic Walmart, UPS and FedEx person already been investigating those engines wrong their ain fleets.

“This volition rapidly impact into a worldly caller segment,” Rose said.

“The caller motor exertion is present that we request … and we’re going to standard it up.”

One of North America’s largest logistics companies, Mullen Group Ltd., already has 19 afloat operational CNG trucks, with plans to deploy different 15 arsenic soon arsenic they go available.

CEO Murray Mullen said that portion earthy gas-powered engines are astir 30 per cent much costly than a accepted diesel engine, the CNG itself is cheaper than retail diesel fuel.

He added the earthy gas-powered trucks Mullen Group already has successful its fleet person been performing “exceptionally well.”

“Compressed earthy state is viable, it’s competitive, and it’s bully for the environment,” Mullen said.

“Are each of our trucks connected it yet? No … But we deliberation we’re successful the aboriginal stages of this.”

Tourmaline and Clean Energy Fuels program to person a full of 7 CNG fuelling stations by the extremity of 2025. Stations are already being planned for Kamloops, Fort St. John and Chilliwack, B.C., arsenic good arsenic Fort McMurray, Alta.