After seven years of discussion and work, the City of Naperville has opened its first compressed natural gas, or CNG, fueling station at 1720 Jefferson Avenue.
“A compressed natural gas station has been in the City’s plans for several years,” said Naperville Mayor Steve Chirico in a press release. “While much has changed in the world this year, Naperville’s commitment to sustainable initiatives has not. Our city fleet and community as a whole will benefit from this station for years to come and I commend everyone for working together to bring this project to a successful completion.”
What is CNG?
CNG is a methane gas that can be used as a cleaner alternative to gasoline or diesel fuel. The City of Naperville currently includes three vehicles that run on CNG. The city’s garbage and recycling collector, Groot Industries, previously agreed to a long-term deal with CNG-provider Trillium, who built the station. Groot will also transition 22 of its contractor vehicles to CNG over the next three years.
“Trillium continues to grow its retail station network to meet the sustainability needs of innovative fleet customers like the City of Naperville and Groot,” said JP Fjeld-Hansen, vice president of Trillium. “This project has been a long time in the making, and the fact that we completed it safely and effectively during a global pandemic speaks volumes about our team’s dedication to service.”
Open to the Public
The station is also open to the public for vehicles that operate on CNG. It will be unmanned and be open on a 24-hour basis.
The city plans to host a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the spring of 2021, pending COVID-19 restrictions.
Naperville News 17’s Casey Krajewski reports.
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