Clean Energy, Tourmaline enter $70M joint development agreement for CNG stations

Tourmaline Oil (TRMLF) and Clean Energy Fuels (CLNE) announced a $70M Joint Development Agreement to build and operate a network of compressed natural gas stations along key highway corridors across Western Canada. Through this 50-50 shared investment, Tourmaline and Clean Energy expect to construct and commission up to 20 CNG stations over the next five years, which will allow heavy-duty trucks and other commercial transportation fleets that operate in the area to transition to the use of CNG, a lower carbon alternative to gasoline and diesel. Clean Energy will operate the stations. Based on the anticipated commissioning of up to 20 stations over the next five years, approximately 3,000 natural gas-powered trucks could be fueled using CNG every day, resulting in a reduction of approximately 72,800 tonnes of CO2 equivalent usage per year. This is equivalent to removing 15,690 passenger vehicles from the road. As future demand increases, the capacity of these stations can be expanded, and new stations added, which would result in greater environmental performance improvement. The first station expected to be jointly owned under the agreement, located north of Edmonton, is operational and well-positioned for heavy-haul transport routes with close proximity to key customers and stakeholders. The next stations which Tourmaline and Clean Energy expect to commission in the first half of 2024 are anticipated to be located within the municipalities of Calgary and Grande Prairie in Alberta and Kamloops, B.C.