Two Move To Increase Trucking Nat-Gas Use

MONTREAL — A financial services provider and one of the largest natural gas distributors in Quebec have teamed up to facilitate the trucking industry’s adoption of natural gas as a fuel in Eastern Canada.

Under the agreement Gaz Métro Transport Solutions (GMTS), a subsidiary of Gaz Métro, fleet operators will work with GMTS for natural gas supply and purchase and, separately, with GE Capital Canada to secure loans or leases for natural gas vehicles (NGVs).

NGVs that are eligible under this agreement use either compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied natural gas (LNG).

According to GE Capital, transitioning to NGVs can be a critical step for fleet operators in reducing their fuel costs in order to remain competitive.

“Transitioning to natural gas is a smart way to diversify their fuel portfolios and reduce those costs. Through this agreement, we’re giving trucking company leaders the financial motivation to make the shift from diesel to nat-gas,” said Véronique Haché, strategic initiative leader for natural gas vehicles at GE Capital.

The transportation sector is the largest emitter of GHG in Quebec, amounting to 44.7% of the province’s total emissions, according to the Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and the Fight against Climate Change. More than one-third of these emissions can be attributed to merchandise road transportation with its heavy-duty diesel-powered vehicles, it has said.

“This agreement reinforces GMTS’s turn-key approach by adding a financial partner to accompany the fleet operators in their transition to natural gas,” said Luc Génier, president of the board of directors of GMTS. “We are confident that combining our respective expertise will have a positive effect on the adoption of natural gas as a fuel for the trucking industry in Eastern Canada.”

Since its creation in 2010, GMTS has been a provider in the alternative fuels space in Quebec. In 2011 it launched the Blue Road, the first LNG fueling station network in Canada, according to GE Capital.

The Blue Road currently includes five locations, including three public stations in Lévis, QC, Cornwall, ON, and Sainte-Julie, QC. A fourth station to be open in Rivière-du-Loup, QC over the next months will continue the route towards Gaspesie and the Eastern provinces.


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