IGS CNG Services, in conjunction with other partners and Governor Tomblin’s office, announced that the grand opening of Charleston, West Virginia’s first compressed natural gas fueling station for vehicles will be held on January 28, 2014. The fueling station is located at 10 Spring Street in Charleston.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the number of compressed natural gas stations could double over the next two years. The increase is a result of a number of companies converting their vehicle fleets to run on CNG. Recently, Shale Hotels Inc. and “O” Ring CNG Fuel Systems LP entered into a joint venture to build an undisclosed amount of CNG stations. There are currently five CNG stations in Southwestern Pennsylvania that are open to the public: EQT’s Strip District facility, Giant Eagle’s stations in Crafton and Cranberry, American Natural’s Station Square station and Waste Management’s Clean-n-Green station in Washington County.
IGS Energy CNG Services (IGS) has opened its first compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station in West Virginia, reports the State Journal. IGS president Scott White stated that the Bridgeport, WV station is the first of three that are planned to serve the I-79 corridor between Pittsburgh and Charleston, and is the first publically accessible station to open in West Virginia in the past twenty years. West Virginia has taken aggressive steps to promote the use of CNG as an alternative fuel for public and commercial fleet vehicles. At the grand opening of the Bridgeport CNG station, Governor Earl Ray Tomblin made the following statement: “With the opening of this station, West Virginia once again is taking a bold step and leading the way toward national energy independence. Not only are we utilizing a cleaner burning fuel, but we are putting to use one that is produced right in our own state by hard-working West Virginians.”
The Pittsburgh Business Times recently reported that Giant Eagle and Peoples Natural Gas have partnered to open a compressed natural gas filling station at the GetGo station in Cranberry Township on Route 228. According to the article, Giant Eagle expects to begin selling CNG at between $1.90 and $2.00 per gallon.
The compressed natural gas (CNG) services company IGS Energy recently announced that its CNG fueling station in Bridgeport should be open by September 1st, and that it began construction on another station in Charleston on August 6th, the State Journal reported. The company has committed to building a $10 million dollar CNG fueling corridor in West Virginia and Pennsylvania to provide the infrastructure for the use of the region’s abundant natural gas resources by companies and consumers interested in adopting CNG-powered vehicles. As reported by West Virginia Public Broadcasting, the adoption of CNG-powered vehicles is expected to increase in the region due to Ford Motor Company’s release of a CNG compatible version of its popular F-150 truck.
MarketWatch reports that Range Resources will convert its vehicle fleet to cleaner-burning compressed natural gas. Range’s current fleet consists of approximately 184 CNG vehicles, about 100 of which operate in southwestern Pennsylvania. Most of the vehicles are Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and Ram 2500 models. According to the report, Range expects its investment to pay for itself within two years. Range joins other Marcellus operators, such as Chesapeake Energy and EQT Corp., which have also announced similar transitions to CNG, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin and the West Virginia Oil and Natural Gas Association, both enthusiastic advocates for utilizing natural gas produced from the Appalachian basin to fuel natural gas vehicles (NGVs), sponsored the 2013 Appalachian Basin NGV Expo and Conference this past week in Charleston, West Virginia. The conference agenda included discussions on the economic and environmental benefits of converting to NGVs, converting existing fleet vehicles into NGVs, and how to expand the NGV market. The conference featured speakers from Appalachian Basin natural gas producers, including Chesapeake Energy and CONSOL Energy, and fleet vehicle operators who are transitioning their gasoline and diesel vehicles to compressed natural gas, including Waste Management, which has more than 1,000 natural gas-powered trucks, and school bus manufacturer Blue Bird Body Company. The public had the opportunity to browse an exhibit hall that displayed various NGVs, including the world’s first natural gas-powered chopper.
Pipeline reports that a former Exxon station in Station Square will be the home to Pittsburgh’s second compressed natural gas station (CNG). The station will be owned by Desdemona Holdings LP, a subsidiary of Cleopatra Resources LLC, and will operate under the American Natural Retail brand. Desdemona Holdings received a $372,300 grant and a $248,200 loan from the Commonwealth Financing Authority through the Alternative and Clean Energy Program to help complete the project.
As reported in the Fayette Tribune, West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin’s Natural Gas Vehicle Task Force has released its final report on how the state can utilize its natural gas resources to reduce transportation costs and boost the local economy. The Task Force identified locations within the state that contain large concentrations of government fleet vehicles, and therefore have the greatest demand for fueling infrastructure (map). The Task force suggested tax credits for the purchase of natural gas vehicles and for private investments in the construction of fueling stations. The Task Force also recommended that the state develop programs to educate West Virginians about natural gas vehicles, including the benefits of adopting these vehicles and information on how to maintain and operate them.
INNOVA Commercialization Group, a West Virginia early-stage investment program, has announced that it will provide financing to Alternative Fuel Solutions of West Virginia, LLC for the construction of a facility in Morgantown that will convert aftermarket vehicles to operate on compressed natural gas (CNG), propane, and other alternative fuels which have been made abundant by shale gas development, reports The State Journal. West Virginia’s 2011 Marcellus Gas Manufacturing and Development Act has made aftermarket conversion, which can require a substantial investment, a more attractive option: West Virginians who convert vehicles to operate on certain alternative fuels, such as CNG and propane, may qualify for state tax credits of 50% of the cost of conversion up to $7,500 for conventional vehicles, or up to $25,000 for large industrial vehicles. At current prices, fleet owners may save an average 35 percent on fuel costs after switching to CNG, before accounting for state tax credits like those available in West Virginia.
WOWKTV.com reports that IGS Energy, an Ohio-based company, will build and operate compressed natural gas fueling stations along Interstate 79 in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. IGS indicates that the $10 million network of CNG fueling stations will have locations in Bridgeport, Charleston and Jane Lew in West Virginia and in Mount Morris in southwestern Pennsylvania.
The Kanawha County Commission is accepting bids for the development of a compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling port to service the County’s CNG-powered Chevrolet Tahoe and future CNG-powered fleet vehicles, reports the Charleston Gazette. Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper stated that he would like “a good portion of the fleet to go toward natural gas.” Local government and business leaders in Kanawha County created the “Kanawha Converts” consortium in January 2012 to work on initiatives to convert local fleets to CNG in order to take advantage of the economic and environmental benefits offered by the cheaper and cleaner-burning fuel.
Virginia is the latest state to join a multi-state initiative to convert government vehicle fleets to run on compressed natural gas (CNG). Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell announced on October 2, 2012 that he is now allied with the governors of 21 other states, including West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, in an effort to equip the state fleet with CNG-powered vehicles. The participating states have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) designed to aggregate annual state vehicle procurements, and have sent automakers a request for proposals on vehicle purchase options. In conjunction with the MOU, state government leaders continue to examine how best to develop a refueling infrastructure that will support CNG-powered fleets. Companies across the Marcellus and Utica Shale region are responding to the increasing demand for a CNG refueling infrastructure.
The Pittsburgh Business Times reports that Chesapeake Energy Corp. is in talks with Giant Eagle concerning a possible joint venture which would involve the installation of compressed nature gas (CNG) refueling facilities at Giant Eagle’s GetGo gas stations. Norman Herrera, Chesapeake’s director of market development, told the Business Times that Chesapeake may be involved as an investor in the infrastructure, and may also play a role in arranging agreements with local fleets to convert to CNG and commit to refueling at GetGos.
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