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September 25, 2012

Site work on compressed natural gas station under way

By Adam Smith adam@athensnews-courier.com

— Dirt is being moved at a site on city-owned property near the Sportsplex that will soon become Athens’ first fast-fill compressed natural gas station.

At last Tuesday’s meeting of the Athens Planning Commission, the board unanimously approved a site plan for the project. The station will sit on less than a half-acre off U.S. 31 by Tri-Green.

The city plans to add a second slow-fill station at the Public Works Department in the future. The cost for both stations is estimated at $614,360.

Steve Carter, manager of the Athens Gas Department, said he hopes the station will be open by mid-December or early January. The Athens station will be the only stopping point for CNG-powered vehicles between Birmingham and Nashville.

“We’re looking forward to that opening date,” Carter said. “We’ll become part of the I-65 CNG corridor.”

The initial site-work is being conducted by the city’s Public Works Department. Once that’s completed, he said, concrete curb and gutter work will begin. Birmingham-based Stone Building Co. has the bid on the project.

The station will look very similar to a traditional gas station, Carter said, except it won’t have an attached convenience store or restrooms. City employees will have a card to swipe when refueling a city vehicle while the public will be able to use a traditional credit/debit card.

It will contain a two-sided pump, with one hose being for big trucks and a second hose for cars. The pump will also be covered by a 15-foot canopy, and the station will be well-lit, Carter said.

Whereas most traditional gas stations have below-ground fuel storage, the CNG will be stored above ground. The compressor, which compresses the fuel and stores it, will be 75 to 100 feet away from the pump.

Though the new station will be a fast-fill site, Carter said it would take five-to-seven minutes to refuel a traditional automobile. Perhaps the best benefit, however, will be the fuel cost. The price-per-gallon on Monday was about $1.60.

Earlier this year, the city purchased a CNG-powered Honda Civic, purchased at a price of $26,000. City leaders said it was a first step in reducing a dependence on foreign fuel.

The city has also committed to purchasing a CNG-powered sanitation truck, estimated to cost about $264,000. Mayor Ronnie Marks has previously said he would like to see the Athens City Schools eventually switch to CNG-powered buses.

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