Canada’s largest natural gas producer Tourmaline Oil and Clean Energy Fuels announced they will jointly build a $70-million compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling network in Western Canada.
Truck fleets such as Mullen Group are expected to take advantage of the fueling network of 20 filling stations to be built over the next five years.
“As one of North America’s largest logistics providers, the Mullen Group is committed to being a leader in sustainability,” Murray Mullen, senior executive officer with Mullen Group said in a release. “We are excited to support this initiative. We have already made a significant investment in CNG trucks and are extremely confident that this technology will play a huge role in the decarbonization of our industry.”
Tourmaline and Clean Energy say the new stations can supply about 3,000 heavy trucks a day. Switching from diesel to CNG is equal to removing about 15,690 passenger vehicles from the road, the companies claim.
Also, CNG provides about a 50% cost savings compared to diesel. In the future, the energy companies say the stations will be able to supply renewable natural gas using the same equipment. The first station constructed under the deal is already open, north of Edmonton. The next stations will be built in the first half of 2024 and will be located near Calgary and Grande Prairie, Alta., and Kamloops, B.C.