Florida compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling infrastructure provider Nopetro has received approval from the St. Johns County (Florida) Board of County Commissioners to install natural gas infrastructure and related services.
The 20-year contract gives Nopetro’s public-private partnership (P3) plan permission to construct and operate a turnkey CNG fueling station. Nopetro’s fueling station will also be available to serve private commercial fleets and the public at large, generating royalties for the county.
“We are excited to move forward with implementing our CNG solutions in St. Johns County, delivering the many financial and environmental benefits of compressed natural gas to a very forward-thinking local government,” said Jorge Herrera, co-founder and CEO of Nopetro. “This innovative partnership will result in fleets that are far more cost-effective to operate, environmentally friendly and sustainable in the long term.”
Nopetro will absorb all costs related to the construction, operation and maintenance of the fueling station to be built at the Public Works facility at State Road 16 and Industry Drive. The North Florida Transportation Planning Organization will provide more than $730,000 to spur St. Johns’ CNG vehicle transition, and the county is also eligible for a $250,000 per year grant from Florida’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Office of Energy.
The county could realize more than $6 million in savings in the next two decades by switching to CNG, Nopetro said.