Clean Energy Fuels announced the opening of two new fueling stations that offer heavy-duty truck and other fleet vehicles renewable natural gas (RNG). The company noted that RNG is one of the only fuels that receives a carbon-negative rating.
A station in North Fort Worth, near Alliance and DFW airports, and another in South Dallas close to I-45, I-35 and I-20, are strategically located near dozens of distribution centers, the company said. These locations will allow trucks to take advantage of a fuel that provides similar convenience as diesel, according to Clean Fuels, yet is rated as one of the cleanest in the world.
Agriculture accounts for nearly 10% of U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the transportation sector accounts for another 28%, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Capturing methane from farm waste lowers these emissions. RNG, produced by that captured methane and used as a transportation fuel, significantly lowers GHG emissions on a lifecycle basis when compared to diesel. This allows RNG to be one of the only transportation fuels to receive a negative carbon-intensity score based on the reduction of emissions at the source and at the vehicle, Clean Fuels said.
Welcome Additions to an RNG-Intense Market
The two stations expand Clean Energy’s fueling network of over 600 stations. Clean Fuel said they are opening at a time when RNG is becoming a fuel that many fleets are embracing to meet their carbon emissions reduction goals.
The company noted that a new 15-liter natural gas engine for heavy-duty trucks, the Cummins X15N, is anticipated to be commercially available later in 2024. The engine is currently being tested by some of the largest and most demanding fleets in the country, including Walmart, Werner, Knight Swift, FedEx Freight and UPS.
Clean Fuel said early reactions to the X15N have been positive at a time when the heavy-duty truck market continues to struggle to find affordable and reliable alternatives to decarbonize their fleets.
In addition to heavy-duty truck fleets, there are 700 Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) buses, hundreds of sanitation trucks, airport shuttles and other vehicles that support DFW and Austin-Bergstrom airports, all of which operate on ultra-clean RNG, the company noted.
“The Dallas-Fort Worth area is already one of the biggest transportation hubs in the country and it is only getting bigger,” said Chad Lindholm, senior vice president of sales at Clean Energy. “These two new stations will provide heavy-duty truck fleets with the ease of fueling with RNG, which is becoming more recognized as the cleanest, most affordable, and readily available alternative fuel for the transportation market,”
The North Fort Worth station is located at 895 Railhead Drive, Haslet, TX 76177, adjacent to Alliance airport. It sits on almost 8 acres and is equipped with multiple fast-fill fuel dispensers allowing heavy-duty vehicles to easily get in-and-out within 10-15 minutes with a full tank of RNG. It also offers 82 private overnight fueling posts for heavy-duty trucks, allowing for cost-effective fueling, as well as 54 parking bays for box trucks and 140 for drivers’ personal vehicles.
Additional Investments Coming
The South Dallas station is located at 4480 Logistics Drive, Dallas, TX 75241 and occupies 5.7 acres near Lancaster, bordered by I-35 to the east, I-20 to the north and I-45 to the west. It is equipped with multiple fast-fill dispensers, 80 private overnight fuel posts for heavy-duty trucks, 120 parking places for drivers’ vehicles, and 41 for box trucks.
Clean Energy said it is also investing hundreds of millions of dollars in the production of RNG at dairy farms in the U.S., including a facility at Del Rio Dairy in Friona, TX, which began producing RNG in 2023. Another is expected to begin construction at South Fork Dairy in Dimmitt, TX, soon.
