Posted on 03/14/2013 7:59:46 AM PDT by Lorianne
ENN Group Co Ltd, one of China's largest private companies, is quietly rolling out plans to establish a network of natural gas fueling stations for trucks along U.S. highways.
With plans to build 50 stations this year alone, ENN joins a small but formidable group of players -- including Clean Energy Fuels Corp and Royal Dutch Shell Plc -- in an aggressive push to develop an infrastructure for heavy-duty trucks fueled by cheap and abundant natural gas. Clean Energy is backed by T. Boone Pickens and Chesapeake Energy Corp.
The move is yet another example of China's ambition to grab a piece of the U.S. shale gas boom. Just last month, Sinopec Group said it would pay $1 billion for some of Chesapeake's oil and gas properties in the Mississippi Lime shale.
The natural gas bounty is also expected to help wean the U.S. transport industry off its dependence on diesel fuel made from imported crude oil, and the trucking industry is in a big push to use more of the domestically produced fuel.
The potential savings are huge: shippers can save around $2 a gallon by switching to natural gas from diesel.
Nearly half of the garbage trucks sold in the United States last year run on natural gas. They are able to refuel at dedicated stations at their home bases. To convince the far larger market for long-haul trucking to run on natural gas, truckers need to know they can refuel along their highway routes.
Enter ENN, led by billionaire energy tycoon Wang Yusuo. The company has already built natural gas stations in China, which is farther along in its adoption of natural gas trucks.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Good although it would be better if US companies were doing the investing. We’re awash in NG and need to find ways to use it.
Hmmmmm. Now that the Commies are backing natural gas development in the USA, it won’t be long before the environmental lobby get behind natural gas expansion, as long as “Big State” is making the money, not “Big Oil”.
Either one, it’s always going to be big something.
It’s starting. The Mobil station off of the centrally located S. Main Street Exit off of Route 20 added CNG at $2.10/per whatever they measure.
They put it in at the request of the garbage hauler across the street, but nothing stops the UPS trucks or CNG Honda Civics or modified Fords from using it.
The chicken and egg problem is being solved right now.
Maybe you should buy stock in ENN?
I read a report on using CNG in the big rigs a few weeks ago and it was mostly positive. The biggest drawback was a reduction in power output by the engine which potentially limits the payload and might prove to be a problem on mountain roads. It should be fine for running up and down the East Coast etc though.
Looks like it's still privately held. Got to wait for the IPO.
Natural gas injection or propane injection added to diesel is a great option.
Cleaner, more efficient and same or more power.
Bump to read later.
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