Area natural gas vehicle group formed
fwbusinesspress.com
BY ROBERT FRANCIS
September 24, 2009
Several area organizations with an interest in energy and natural gas in particular have come together to form the Metroplex Natural Gas Vehicle Consortium. The new group, formally announced Sept. 24, aims to develop new transportation markets for natural gas vehicles (NGVs) and a fueling infrastructure in the North Texas region.
The idea for such a consortium came out of a natural gas vehicle symposium co-hosted by the Barnett Shale Energy Education Council and the TCU Energy Institute in June. Members include energy companies, a government organization and other businesses with an interest in natural gas. Current members are: Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Republic Services, Chesapeake Energy, XTO Energy, Clean Energy Fuels, EOG Resources, EnCana, Quicksilver Resources, and the North Central Texas Council of Governments. The organization met for the first time in June and again in early September.
The consortium’s mission is to develop new and expanded transportation markets and refueling stations for natural gas in the Fort Worth-Dallas area, using industry initiatives, government programs, energy education and community relations. The north Texas area currently has nine natural gas refueling stations that are available for public use.
“Putting more NGVs on the road will reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign oil because the U.S. has huge natural gas reserves,” said Ed Ireland, executive director of the Barnett Shale Energy Education Council.
The technology exists to convert transportation fleets to cleaner-burning, cheaper, and plentiful natural gas; but nevertheless, the U.S. lags far behind many other countries, according to Ireland. About 15,000 NGVs exist in U.S., but worldwide the number is closer to 8 million.
According to Ken Morgan, executive director of the TCU Energy Institute, a stumbling block to expanding the use of natural gas vehicles is the lack of a natural gas fueling infrastructure in our region. As such, consortium members are exploring three options to solve this problem, according to organization officials.
The first is to take advantage of existing “compressor sites” that would step up the pressure of natural gas as it feeds into a larger volume of trunk lines, then set up a pull-through refueling station nearby. The second option is to locate new fueling stations in clusters near existing high-pressure lines, with plenty of “nozzles” for morning or evening refueling “rush” hours. The third, more long-term option envisioned by the consortium are “refueling corridors” along the major arteries between Fort Worth and Dallas, ultimately connecting to Oklahoma City, Waco, Houston and other major metropolitan areas.
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