TruStar Energy has been contracted by CNG Energy to design and build a public-access compressed natural gas fueling station Liberal, KS.
“It all started with our family farm,” said Rocky Ormiston, CNG Energy vice president. “We have been using CNG to power our irrigation engines for 20 years.”
Ormiston said the release of the 12L Cummins Westport engine made the decision to switch to natural gas power easy.
“Two things that we immediately appreciated with natural gas were the cost per MCF and its price stability over time,” said Ormiston. “You can do a lot of projections as far as budgeting is concerned without the threat of price spikes. We’re also using a domestic fuel source instead of something coming in on a tanker from overseas.”
CNG Energy will operate 12 Kenworth CNG tractors, hauling ethanol co-products from a local ethanol plant as well as corn and sorghum into the plant.
The CNG Energy station will feature two public fast-fill dispensers with volume that will support not only the fleet’s 12 tractors, but other commercial fleets and private vehicles as well.
“Our first thought was to develop a private station to support our transport operation,” said Ormiston, “but we realized that other fleets would just go somewhere else – when we had the capacity to provide fuel to them. We felt that it was important to provide the public with a place to fuel as well.”
“We’re very excited to have partnered with CNG Energy to design and build this station,” said TruStar Energy vice president Scott Edelbach. “This is a win-win situation for CNG Energy – as the fuel is being used to support one of their core businesses, as well as provide needed fuel to other fleets in the area.”
The station is scheduled to be online in late June.
