Nopetro has announced the grand opening of the nation’s largest public/private compressed natural gas fueling facility.
The facility, located at the intersection of John Young Parkway and Lynx Lane, is part of a public-private partnership (P3) with the Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority (Lynx). The six-acre facility, inclusive of five CNG dispensers, with the capacity to distribute 40 gallons per minute, comprises two stations within one location – a private station for LYNX, and a second station open to the public at large.
The P3 also included providing environmentally sustainable upgrades to Lynx’s existing maintenance facility, as well as coordinating the conversion of the existing public bus fleet to CNG vehicles.
As part of the P3 agreement, Nopetro built the CNG fueling station and upgraded the maintenance facility. The fueling facility is completely privately funded, a rarity for this level of infrastructure investment, and also includes a shared-revenue component with the regional bus service. Another integral partner in making this unique facility a reality was TECO Peoples Gas, who was responsible for bringing the natural gas utility service to the project.
“This P3 showcases Lynx’s commitment to sustainable public transportation, and puts us at the cutting edge of a nationwide movement,” said Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs, chair of the Lynx Board of Directors. “Lynx will proudly be home to the nation’s largest facility of its kind. We very much look forward to working with Nopetro on this transformative opportunity.”
Under the terms of the public-private partnership, switching from diesel to CNG is expected to provide Lynx with annual positive returns. LYNX is projected to have more than 150 CNG buses within the next five years, resulting in a more fuel-diversified and environmentally friendly fleet.
“Converting Lynx’s fleet to CNG is a complete win/win for our communities,” said Jacobs. “It is positive from a fiscal standpoint, positive from an environmental standpoint, and positive for the millions of riders who utilize the system.”
Converting to CNG offers more than financial savings to local government agencies. Experts note that switching to CNG cuts emissions drastically, including particulate matter by 89 percent, carbon monoxide by 70 percent, carbon dioxide by 25 percent and nitrous oxide by 80 percent.
Nopetro has a strong track record in developing world-class CNG fueling operations. The company operates one of the nation’s most successful public-private partnerships for CNG fueling - a tri-government P3 in Florida’s capital, with the City of Tallahassee, Leon County and Leon County Schools. Nopetro also has CNG P3 projects in development with St. Johns and Charlotte Counties.
“Nopetro is extremely excited to be working with the Lynx team and to bring this proven and sustainable model to the region. Our P3 approach to CNG infrastructure development is best in class and flexible to suit the specifics of any U.S. government fleet.” said Jorge Herrera, co-founder and CEO of Nopetro.
