Clean Energy, Mansfield Form Nat-Gas Joint Venture for Bulk-Fuel Market
Clean Energy Fuels Corp. and Mansfield Energy Corp. announced the formation of a joint venture that will provide natural-gas fueling to U.S. bulk-fuel haulers, a segment that consumes more than 3 billion gallons of fuel every year.
Ira Pearl, a veteran of the natural-gas industry, has been tapped to lead the venture, which will be called Mansfield Clean Energy Partners, according to a Sept. 16 Clean Energy statement.
Its first customer will be Mansfield Oil Co., which has deployed the first of its recently purchased 12 heavy-duty compressed natural gas trucks to haul diesel and gasoline for its customers.
“As a family-owned company, Mansfield is committed to responsibly operating within the communities where we do business,” CEO Michael Mansfield said. “Creating this partnership with Clean Energy and deploying natural-gas trucks is preparing us for the future and will allow other bulk-fuel haulers to take advantage of the benefits of clean-burning natural gas.”
The Atlanta-based fleet of CNG trucks will fuel at area card-locked natural-gas stations available to fleets throughout the region. The station was built by Clean Energy and is forecasted to open by November.
A second natural-gas fueling station in Tampa, Florida, which will support additional Mansfield CNG trucks as well as other regional and national bulk-fuel haulers, is expected to open early next year.
The venture is in discussions with several bulk-fuel trucking companies, representing potentially more than 100 new heavy-duty CNG trucks, according to Clean Energy. To support these Class 8 natural-gas trucks, MCEP will develop new public-access natural-gas fueling stations throughout the United States in addition to the Atlanta and Tampa facilities.
“The deep relationships Mansfield has built with America’s bulk-fuel haulers are virtually unparalleled,” said Andrew Littlefair, Clean Energy’s CEO. “Our joint sales forces will leverage these relationships and Clean Energy’s natural-gas fueling expertise to offer the critical market segment of bulk-fuel haulers the best natural-gas fueling solutions on the market.”
