Blue Energy Fuels, a subsidiary of Tulsa Gas Technologies, held a grand-opening ceremony on Monday for its new public-access compressed natural gas (CNG) station in Owasso, Okla. The city signed the contract for the facility in November 2011.
Court Newkirk, general manager of Blue Energy Fuels, tells NGT News that since the soft launch of the station early last month, about 3,000 GGE of CNG has been pumped. Blue Energy Fuels is hoping volumes will reach 8,000 to 10,000 GGE by the end of the year.
The key customer for the new site is the city of Owasso, which already has about a dozen natural gas vehicles (NGVs) in its fleet – mostly 1/2-ton and 3/4-ton pickup trucks. Plans were on the books for up to 50 NGVs to come online in the near term, but the city is holding off on these acquisitions while it re-examines the timeline for the roll-out.
Also located near the new station is an AT&T maintenance facility, which has at least four NGVs that will fuel in Owasso. The company has aggressive plans for deploying more NGVs, so it is likely that additional vehicles will use the new site.
A regional transit authority also operates CNG vans, and three of them are already fueling daily at the station, Newkirk says. The organization is planning on converting 100% of its fleet – about 50 units – to natural gas.
Right now, CNG is retailing for $1.59/GGE in Owasso, and bulk-fueling contracts are available. Such contracts gives fleets the opportunity to take advantage of volume discounts on fuel.
Tulsa Gas Technologies has developed more than 500 natural gas refueling sites over the past two decades, Newkirk adds.
