A new Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) refuelling station supplied by Wärtsilä has been recently opened in Reading in England. The new CNG facility will supply the city’s fleet of gas fuelled buses, which because of their low noise and lack of harmful emissions are proving extremely popular with the general public. The Wärtsilä CNG refuelling station was opened by Baroness Kramer, Britain’s Minister of State for Transport. At the opening ceremony it was further announced that the Reading City Council has been awarded GBP 368,000 (EUR 467,000) to support the conversion of up to 113 taxi cabs to run on CNG. These vehicles will also use the new refuelling facility.
The project was initiated in early 2013 when the contract was awarded to Wärtsilä. Installation was completed in the early summer of 2014. The refuelling station comprises two compressors, high pressure gas storage and three dispensers. Currently, Reading operates 34 single deck buses operating on natural gas, and 40 percent of the total fleet consists of either double deck hybrids or single deck gas powered vehicles. Officials from the city have been speakers at a number of industry conferences highlighting the success of this project.
Natural gas is delivered to the site via the national grid with an equivalent volume of biogas being injected before delivery. The fuel is, therefore, considered as being Carbon Neutral, thereby offering the bus company a further reduction in fuel taxes.
“Wärtsilä offers biogas or natural gas compressor solutions for CNG refuelling stations serving buses, trucks and other vehicles. Our service vans all run on CNG and as the infrastructure of refuelling facilities continues to expand, we expect to see this trend rapidly expanding in the coming years,” says Kevin Robertson, General Manager Waste Water, Wärtsilä Ship Power.
“Our natural gas buses are the most reliable vehicles in the fleet and we expect to continue to switch our fleet to CNG operation. The cooperation with Wärtsilä has been excellent and the project has been highly successful,” says Mr Tony Pettitt, Reading Buses’ Director of Resources.
Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)
CNG is natural gas under pressure and remains clear, odourless, and non-corrosive. Although vehicles can use natural gas in either liquid or gaseous form, most vehicles use the gaseous option that has the gas compressed to pressures above 214 bar. Natural gas vehicles show an average reduction in ozone forming emissions of 80 percent compared to gasoline fuelled vehicles.
Wärtsilä’s offering covers a range of options, from a basic compressor block to a fully installed and commissioned CNG refuelling station that includes the compression module(s), cascade storage, priority panels and fuel dispensers. The units are designed to comply with European and International standards.
Link to more information on wartsila.com: Wärtsilä Hamworthy CNG Compressor Solutions
Images:
Compressed Natural Gas Compressor
Compressed Natural Gas refuelling station
Media contacts:
Mr Nick Sandison
General Manager Compressors
Wärtsilä Ship Power
Tel: +44 1202 662627
nick.sandison@wartsila.com
Ms Marit Holmlund-Sund
Senior Manager Marketing, Communications, Ship Power
Wärtsilä Corporation
Tel: +358 10 709 1439
marit.holmlund-sund@wartsila.com
Wärtsilä in brief:
Wärtsilä is a global leader in complete lifecycle power solutions for the marine and energy markets. By emphasising technological innovation and total efficiency, Wärtsilä maximizes the environmental and economic performance of the vessels and power plants of its customers.
In 2013, Wärtsilä's net sales totalled EUR 4.7 billion with approximately 18,700 employees. The company has operations in more than 200 locations in nearly 70 countries around the world. Wärtsilä is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki, Finland.
www.wartsila.com