Local officials and community leaders joined with representatives from C.A.T. Inc., Gaz Métro Limited Partnership («Gaz Métro») and U.S. Venture Gain Fuel Canada, ULC to break ground for the first GAIN® Clean Fuel compressed natural gas (CNG) station in Québec, Canada . The station will be located at 4 Transport Street in the industrial park of Coteau-du Lac and will provide the North American carrier with an alternative fuel to support its growing fleet of CNG trucks. The station will be supplied with natural gas through Gaz Métro's network. The opening of the station is planned for this fall.
"We're excited to break ground on this important project," said C.A.T. Inc. President Daniel Goyette . "The carrier industry is evolving with the use of CNG and we are on the forefront of that evolution. Partnering with GAIN Clean Fuel has provided us the infrastructure we need as we continue to convert our fleet from diesel fuel to operating on CNG. It's been a great relationship and we look forward to leveraging the many benefits of CNG to improve our business and become better environmental stewards."
Nearly a third of C.A.T.'s fleet of 350 tractors will be converted to CNG. This station, along with four additional GAIN Clean Fuel stations under construction in Toronto, Ontario ; Laredo, Texas ; Charlotte, North Carolina and Scranton, Pennsylvania , as part of the partnership, will be combined with the existing GAIN Clean Fuel North American network to provide C.A.T. access to a reliable and quality source of CNG.
"It's incredible to see such an industry leader make this significant commitment to change how it operates," said GAIN Clean Fuel General Manager Bill Renz . "Many carriers do smaller, incremental conversions, and when they realize the benefits, continue the conversion process. To convert this many tractors at once to CNG shows the level of C.A.T.'s commitment."
CNG benefits include savings on fuel of up to 30 percnet compared with diesel and up to 25 percent less greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than diesel fuel, making it more environmentally friendly, an important feature for C.A.T. as it works to reduce its fleet's environmental impact. Another significant advantage is CNG is domestically produced, creating price stability when compared with diesel fuel which is influenced by the price of oil on the world market.
"Gain is the first major road transport energy distributor to establish itself in Québec, with a public natural gas fueling station. The strategic location of this new station on one of the most heavily traveled corridors in North America (A-20/H-401)—and a stone's throw from Ontario and the United States—will provide even greater flexibility for Québec carriers," said Éric Desmarais, Director, Fuel Market at Gaz Métro. "C.A.T.'s commitment confirms once more how much transport companies recognize the many advantages of natural gas as a replacement for diesel," added Mr. Desmarais.
When completed, the new stations, like all other GAIN Clean Fuel stations, will provide easyaccess, fast-fill capabilities and will be open for use by other fleets and the general public. They will also have fleet card acceptance capabilities for trucker convenience and provide reliability to ensure that fleets have a consistent fuel source.
About U.S. Venture Gain Fuel Canada, ULC
For over 60 years, U.S. Venture has been recognized as an innovative leader in the distribution of petroleum and renewable energy products, lubricants, and tires and parts for the automotive aftermarket. Guided by its company vision, "To be the very best value-adding distributor of products that vehicles consume in North America ," they deliver unconventional, creative solutions that give their customers a competitive edge. Headquartered in Appleton, Wisconsin , the company's business divisions are U.S. Oil, U.S. AutoForce®, U.S. Lubricants and U.S. Gain/GAIN clean Fuel.
About C.A.T. Inc.
C.A.T. Inc. was founded in 1978 and offers a blend of transportation, and logistics services. Their core market is truckload service between Canada and the USA and are one of a handful of carriers serving the Mexico market on a regular basis.
About Gaz Métro
With more than $6 billion in assets, Gaz Métro is a leading energy provider. It is the largest natural gas distribution company in Quebec , where its network of over 10,000 km of underground pipelines serves 300 municipalities and more than 195,000 customers. Gaz Métro is also present in Vermont , producing electricity and distributing electricity and natural gas to meet the needs of more than 305,000 customers. Gaz Métro is actively involved in the development and operation of innovative, promising energy projects such as the production of wind power, the use of natural gas as a transportation fuel and the development of biomethane. Gaz Métro is a major energy sector player that takes the lead in responding to the needs of its customers, regions and municipalities, local organizations and communities while also satisfying the expectations of its Partners (Gaz Métro inc. and Valener) and employees.