UPS to Boost Natural Gas Operations; Company Will Open 9 New LNG Stations
UPS Inc. said it will invest $50 million to build nine new liquefied natural gas fueling stations, bringing the total number of its stations to 13.
The enhanced LNG fueling infrastructure will support the operation of about 1,000 UPS LNG tractors that displace more than 24 million gallons of diesel fuel annually, the company said.
The facilities will be on-site private stations and not for public-access fueling, UPS said.
Four of the stations were announced in April, and all should be operational by the end of 2014, the company said Oct. 8. UPS began using LNG tractors in its delivery fleet in 2002.
“LNG is becoming more readily available, plus it’s more insulated from market volatilities than diesel fuel,” said David Abney, UPS’ chief operating officer.
“The natural-gas industry needs companies to commit to using natural gas to help establish a reliable alternative to traditional fuel, and that is just what UPS is doing,” he said in a statement.
Abney said the company’s goal is to reach 1 billion miles driven by its alternative fuel and advanced technology fleet by 2017.
The expansion will include fueling stations in Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas. Construction is already under way at LNG fueling facilities in Tennessee and Texas. Currently, UPS operates LNG tractors in Las Vegas; Phoenix; Beaver, Utah; Salt Lake City; and Ontario, Calif.
UPS is ranked No. 1 on the Transport Topics Top 100 listing of U.S. and Canadian for-hire carriers.
