Tourmaline and Clean Energy are expanding their compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling network across Western Canada, with two new stations opening in Calgary and Grande Prairie, Alta. These stations mark their next step in building the first CNG corridor for trucking companies in Canada, enabling the displacement of diesel fuel.

The latest additions join an existing station in Edmonton, which opened in April 2023. The stations are all equipped with the capacity to support more than 300 trucks daily. Construction on the next CNG fueling station is set to begin in Kamloops, B.C., with Fort McMurray and Fort St. John to follow.

“We are expanding our multi-year diesel displacement initiative by making CNG more readily available to heavy-duty trucking companies,” said Michael Rose, president and chief executive officer at Tourmaline, in a news release. “Right here in Alberta, we have the technology, an abundance of natural gas, and now the infrastructure to help facilitate a transformative shift in the transportation sector.”

“The development of this critical infrastructure is perfectly timed as the important new X15N natural gas engine from Cummins is being introduced to the trucking industry to rave reviews. We expect that the combination of more fueling locations and the new engine technology, which is perfectly suited for the Canadian market, will pave the way for continued growth of CNG,” added Andrew Littlefair, president and chief executive officer at Clean Energy.

Tourmaline and Clean Energy’s partnership — the $70 million joint development agreement and their commitment to build up to 20 CNG fueling stations across Western Canada in the next five years — was announced last year.

Since then, it has attracted nine major companies, including fleets and dealers, including GreatWest Kenworth, Mullen Trucking, Martin Brower, and GFL Environmental. The nine companies have collectively displaced 2 million liters of diesel since last April by converting their fleets to CNG technology, according to Tourmaline and Clean Energy’s joint release.

“Using the baseline carbon intensity values for diesel and CNG as outlined in the federal Clean Fuel Regulation, we avoided approximately 1,604 tonnes of emissions to date. That’s the equivalent of planting 26,735 urban tree seedlings grown for 10 years or taking 348 passenger vehicles off the road per year,” explained Cody Brookwell, Clean Energy Canada’s director of sales and business development, adding that CNG also provides about 50% cost savings compared to diesel.

Natural gas has long been recognized as a cleaner alternative to gasoline and diesel, and its use by cities and large corporations has grown as they seek to meet sustainability goals. In addition, the same infrastructure installed for CNG now, can be used later in the future for developing and supporting renewable natural gas (RNG) when it becomes more readily available in Canada.

“When you consider where we are on the adoption curve and the impact this technology will have over the next three to five years, it’s exciting,” Brookwell said. “The infrastructure and demand we establish today will support the development and adoption of RNG in the future.”