Terasen Gas has applied to the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) to provide fuelling services through Terasen Gas owned and operated compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuelling stations. If approved, commercial customers will be able to safely and economically refuel their fleet vehicles, such as buses and refuse trucks, on their own premises, using stations provided by Terasen Gas at rates regulated by the BCUC.
“Our application to provide natural gas fuelling services for fleet vehicles is a further demonstration that natural gas is an economically-viable, environmentally-friendly and convenient fuel source for the transportation sector,” said Doug Stout, Vice President, Energy Solutions and External Relations at Terasen Gas and FortisBC. “As a forward-thinking organization committed to helping address B.C.’s climate action goals through innovative energy solutions, we are working towards facilitating the use of low carbon natural gas, in new ways within B.C.”
Natural gas vehicles (NGVs) provide a way to decrease carbon emissions and reduce noise levels. Using a model developed by Natural Resources Canada to calculate greenhouse gas emissions, a CNG-powered refuse truck driven 45,000 kilometres per year is estimated to produce about 15 fewer tonnes of carbon emissions annually than its diesel counterpart. At current prices, natural gas is approximately 40 per cent less expensive than diesel, resulting in significant operating cost savings.
CNG-powered vehicles also have the potential to use biomethane which is a carbon neutral fuel source. Biomethane is produced by upgrading biogas collected from sources such as landfills and agricultural waste. Terasen Gas is currently waiting on a decision from the BCUC on an application to upgrade biogas in Salmon Arm and Abbotsford.
Fleet use remains the largest market for NGVs as companies try to reduce fuel costs and lower emissions – there are more than 11 million NGVs in use worldwide. Natural gas is one of the alternative fuels with the lowest carbon emissions available for heavy-duty vehicles, and is a popular and proven energy source for fleets in jurisdictions with rigorous climate change regulations, such as California.
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Source: Terasen Gas, December 8, 2010;