The City of Pensacola, Fla., Pensacola Energy and the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (ECUA) have dedicated the city's first compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station, located at ECUA's sanitation facility on Pine Forest Rd.
Dallas-based Zeit Energy was the lead contractor for the $1.8 million project. Pensacola Energy will operate and maintain the station, which features four fast-fill hoses and 90 time-fill dispensers. Pensacola Energy says it is currently working to attract corporate fleets to the station, and the facility will likely be opened to the public in the future.
‘By transitioning to CNG in natural gas vehicles (NGVs), the ECUA is projecting an annual maintenance cost savings in excess of $350,000, and a savings of about $900,000 in annual fuel costs,’ says Steve Sorrell, ECUA's executive director.
ECUA signed a 10-year CNG agreement with Pensacola Energy last year. As a part of that agreement, ECUA will pay a monthly transportation charge, as well as an indexed price-per-diesel-gallon equivalent of CNG fuel used by ECUA vehicles.
