STRATHMORE – Encana’s compressed natural-gas station near Strathmore is now officially open as of Sept. 28, as the company expands their fleet of heavy trucks that will run on the cleaner-burning fuel.
Encana has converted around 128 of their fleet of over 1,400 vehicles to use the natural gas instead of diesel or gasoline. The company now has 39 trucks converted to run on natural gas in the company’s Clearwater Business Unit, which encompasses the Strathmore area.
“Operating a fleet of vehicles on natural gas is both an economic and environmental advantage for our business, and we are inviting other business operators and consumers to join us in capturing the benefits of this clean, abundant and more affordable fuel,” said Randy Eresman, Encana’s president and CEO.
“We believe that natural gas as a transportation fuel has huge potential to improve the bottom line of its users.
“Our vast North American supply of natural gas truly represents a domestic energy solution and a way to further strengthen the economies of both Canada and the United States.”
Erseman said that the natural gas industry currently employs nearly 3.4 million people and every 1 per cent increase in natural gas production creates up to 35,000 new jobs.
The Strathmore CNG fueling station, which is currently not open for public use, is located just north of the town off highway 817. The opening of this facility follows the opening of stations in Fort Lupton, Colorado and Sierra, British Columbia this summer.
Encana Natural Gas also has an operational CNG station in Parachute, Colorado, as well as in Red River Parish, Louisiana. The station in River Parish was the first to be open to the public, as the Strathmore one will be in the future. Beginning in 2012, Encana Natural Gas expects to first offer the Strathmore station’s fueling services to other corporate fleets in the area.
Natural gas-powered cars and trucks are fueled with CNG or liquefied natural gas and operate similarly to gasoline-powered vehicles. There are currently more than 960 natural gas vehicle fueling stations in the United States, serving about 110,000 natural gas vehicles. Canada has a network of approximately 80 public fueling stations in five provinces.
Executive vice-president Eric Marsh said that infrastructure such as the Strathmore CNG station represents another building block in the growing natural gas highway network.
“These facilities are critical in responding to a growing market need given the increasing number of commercial and municipal fleets in North America converting to the more affordable and environmentally friendly alternative of natural gas,” he said. “We have become one of the fastest growing sectors in the alternative vehicle market, with a wide range of passenger models from small compact cars to trucks.”
Marsh said that the new CNG station in Strathmore represents far more than a fueling facility, as it is a milestone along a road to a cleaner energy future and greener economy.
