Shell recently opened new LNG lanes at two TravelCenters of America (TA) truck fueling stations – in Baytown, Texas, and Lafayette, LA. The locations offer an LNG refueling option to trucks driving to the Port of Houston and through Louisiana.
According to Shell, the two stations follow Ontario, CA, which was the first site to open LNG lanes under the Shell-TA agreement last year.
LNG fuel is an alternative to traditional diesel for heavy-duty truck fleet owners, as it can be cost-competitive for trucks that cover long distances, as stated in a Shell press release. It is also cleaner than diesel in terms of sulphur, particulates and nitrogen oxides, and can help reduce well-to-wheel greenhouse gas emissions, according to Shell.
“It is great to see LNG fuel now being offered at these two stations,” said Elen Phillips, vice president of fuels sales and marketing in North America. “LNG can be a good choice for truck owners and more are making the switch to LNG. With each new site, we are pleased to be driving the development of safe and cost-efficient LNG fueling technology.”
“We are very happy to have opened our Baytown and Lafayette LNG lanes,” said Tom O’Brien, president and CEO of TravelCenters. “All of our LNG lanes are ‘super lanes’ in that they are equipped to dispense LNG, diesel and DEF. Because super lanes are integrated with existing fuel lanes, we do not interrupt truck traffic flow, or reduce available truck parking spaces. We now have six truck repair and maintenance facilities that perform repair and maintenance on LNG and CNG vehicles.”
According to the release, as customer demand grows in the U.S., Shell and TA plan to open additional truck fueling lanes.
“We see an opportunity in using LNG as a lower cost and cleaner fuel alternative to diesel, and expect the strengthening supply chain in North America to give customers reassurance that LNG is becoming a bigger part of the transport fuel mix,” said Shell’s Christian Buelow, general manager downstream LNG, Americas. “Shell continues to look into the commercial opportunity of supplying LNG fuel to customers in the region – both marine and road transport customers.”
