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    SoCalGas opens new Renewable Natural Gas Fueling station in Menifee, California

    Nov. 8, 2021
    The utility also plans to convert 200 of its Ford F-250 service pick-up trucks to RNG-fueled ones
    Photo courtesy Southern California Gas Co.
    Photo courtesy Southern California Gas Co.

    Utility firm Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) has opened a new renewable natural gas (RNG) fueling station in Menifee, California. It is the 16th public station operated by the utility firm.

    RNG is a clean, sustainable fuel made from methane. SoCalGas fueling stations have facilitated the fueling of some of the natural gas trucks in California. More than 92% of the natural gas trucks in the state were fueled by RNG in 2020.

    SoCalGas Vice President of Customer Solutions, Don Widjaja explained, “Fueling with RNG is an affordable way to eliminate air pollution and emissions linked to climate change. As the use of RNG in transportation continues to increase in our state, it is important to us to give drivers and fleet operators more locations to fuel up. Our commitment to reducing emissions from the transportation sector continues to be a focus as we work towards our goal to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emission in our operations and delivery of energy by 2045.”

    Currently, SoCalGas is testing two technologies, which will produce hydrogen from renewable natural gas at SunLine Transit Agency's hydrogen fueling station in Thousand Palms, California. This “H2 SilverSTARS” project will fuel SunLine's fleet of 21 hydrogen fuel cell electric buses.

    SoCalGas has worked with fleet owners on the replacement of diesel trucks with natural gas trucks. The utility also plans to convert 200 of its Ford F-250 service pick-up trucks to RNG-fueled ones. With these conversions, nearly 40% of SoCalGas’ fleet will run on clean fuels. 

    About the Author

    EnergyTech Staff

    Rod Walton is senior editor for EnergyTech.com. He has spent 14 years covering the energy industry as a newspaper and trade journalist.

    Walton formerly was energy writer and business editor at the Tulsa World. Later, he spent six years covering the electricity power sector for Pennwell and Clarion Events. He joined Endeavor and EnergyTech in November 2021.

    He can be reached at [email protected]. 

    EnergyTech is focused on the mission critical and large-scale energy users and their sustainability and resiliency goals. These include the commercial and industrial sectors, as well as the military, universities, data centers and microgrids.

    Many large-scale energy users such as Fortune 500 companies, and mission-critical users such as military bases, universities, healthcare facilities, public safety and data centers, shifting their energy priorities to reach net-zero carbon goals within the coming decades. These include plans for renewable energy power purchase agreements, but also on-site resiliency projects such as microgrids, combined heat and power, rooftop solar, energy storage, digitalization and building efficiency upgrades.