TruStar Energy opens Florida CNG station, inks deal for Oklahoma station

TruStar Energy officially opened a compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station for City Furniture in Tamarac, FL. The company also announced that it has signed a contract with High Plains Bioenergy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Seaboard Foods, to build a fast-fill CNG station in Guymon, OK.

The City Furniture location is a time-fill station with two compressors. It will be used to power the company’s new fleet of CNG trucks, which is expected to grow to 90 vehicles by 2016, TruStar said.

“It is exciting to see new market segments take advantage of all the things domestic CNG has to offer – and the Koenig family, long known for their eye toward environmental responsibility, is one the first furniture delivery companies we're aware of that is converting their fleet to CNG,” said Scott Edelbach, TruStar Energy vice president.

“We made the decision after extensive due diligence – researching vehicle manufacturers, speaking with station builders throughout the U.S. and abroad, and meeting with owners of CNG stations and county leaders aware of the (CNG) technology," said Keith Koenig, president. “The DOE's Clean Cities Coalition helped us understand how to make this happen, and TruStar Energy has been terrific in guiding us through the process. We concluded that the ROI payback was strong for our company's future, the environment and the communities we serve.”

The Oklahoma station will be a large, two-compressor facility fueling a wide array of Seaboard heavy-duty vehicles that move products both locally and in an over-the-road application.

“High Plains Bioenergy is a renewable energy company focused on producing as well as using high-quality alternative fuels for the Seaboard Foods integrated food system,” said Seaboard Foods, president and CEO, Terry Holton. “High Plains Bioenergy operates a plant that has been in continuous production since 2008 and produced more than 34 million gallons of biodiesel in 2013.”

Seaboard Foods ordered 103 Kenworth CNG-powered tractors with the Cummins Westport ISX12 G engine, said Holton.