The Oklahoman broke news Tuesday morning that Chesapeake Energy Corp., a heavy advocate of alternative fuel use in transportation in recent years, was cutting its market development team focused on natural gas vehicles (NGVs).
The paper reported that Chesapeake ‘laid off its seven-person natural gas vehicle team amid ongoing corporate restructuring.’
Members of the company's public relations team could not discuss the matter with NGT News.
Chesapeake, one of the largest natural gas producers in the U.S., has been involved in various parts of the NGV supply chain over the years – if not as a direct participant, then as a staunch supporter and financier.
For instance, GE and Chesapeake's Peake Fuel Solutions affiliate partnered to launch CNG In A Box, a small-scale modular compressed natural gas (CNG) refueling solution, last year. In February 2012, Chesapeake joined with 3M to work on new CNG fuel tank technologies – the first of which debuted in February of this year. Peake Fuel Solutions also introduced a dual-fuel diesel-natural gas conversion platform in November 2012.
Chesapeake had additionally invested in the country's largest natural gas refueling station developer, Clean Energy Fuels. The company sold all of its stakes in Clean Energy in July.
Last year, concurrent with weakening corporate performance, Chesapeake's co-founder, president and CEO, Aubrey McClendon, was facing allegations of various conflicts of interest, and the company itself was being looked at for alleged antitrust law violations – none of which was proven.
