A compressed natural gas fueling station is now open on Pine Forest Road. The station is due to a partnership between the city of Pensacola, Pensacola Energy and the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (ECUA).
“This station marks a new day for the city of Pensacola, Pensacola Energy and ECUA,†said Mayor Ashton Hayward in a statement.
The CNG fueling station is the first of several planned by the partnership. The entities plan to shift some fleet vehicles to natural gas in an effort to save money on fuel and maintenance.
“In this era of budget constraints, those of us in government must continually look for opportunities to generate non-tax revenue and work together to improve our operations,†continued Hayward. “These cleaner-burning natural gas vehicles will cost less to fuel and maintain, leaving more dollars for vital city services.â€
The new CNG fueling station—located at the ECUA’s sanitation facility—was built for $1.8 million. The site will serve an estimated 80 vehicles from all three entities, with future plans to attract corporate fleets and the general public.
Last year, ECUA and Pensacola Energy finalized a 10-year CNG agreement. Under the agreement, Pensacola Energy—an enterprise of the city—will maintain the station and ECUA will pay monthly transportation charges, as well as an indexed price-per-diesel-gallon equivalent of fuel used.
The new station features four so-called fast-fill hoses, as well as 90 time-fill dispensers. The time-fill dispensers fuel the CNG vehicles overnight.
ECUA Executive Director Steve Sorrell is expecting a significant savings from switching some fleet vehicles to CNG fuel.
“By transitioning to CNG in natural gas vehicles, ECUA is projecting an annual maintenance cost savings in excess of $350,000, and a savings of about $900,000 in annual fuel costs,†Sorrell said in a statement.