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Piedmont Natural Gas Launches Green Fleet Pilot Program, Unveils State's Largest Natural Gas-Powered Truck

Posted on: Tuesday, 21 April 2009, 08:00 CDT

Pilot Program to Study Performance, Benefits of Natural Gas Powered Heavy-Duty Trucks

Charlotte, n.c., April 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Natural gas could help power a cleaner, bluer North Carolina sky as a result of a Green Fleet pilot program launched today by Piedmont Natural Gas (NYSE: PNY). The Company is examining natural gas as an alternative to diesel fuel for medium to heavy-duty fleet vehicles in an effort to reduce transportation related emissions that contribute to ground level ozone, increased respiratory problems and global climate change.

Piedmont kicked off its Green Fleet pilot program today by unveiling North Carolina's largest natural gas powered truck - a dump truck powered by natural gas Cummins Westport engine - in a special demonstration at the Company's Charlotte operations center. Local policymakers, fleet managers and state environmental officials were in attendance at the event. Piedmont will test the truck's performance over the next several months in conjunction with a program sponsored by the North Carolina Solar Center (NSCS) at North Carolina State University.

Piedmont purchased the natural gas powered truck, in part, through a grant from the NCSC under its Clean Fuel Advanced Technology (CFAT) Program, which is supported by funds from the N.C. Department of Transportation, State Energy Office, and Division of Air Quality to directly reduce harmful emissions and provide related educational outreach. In addition to the natural gas powered truck, the grant from NCSC allowed Piedmont to expand its existing compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station. Located at the utility's Charlotte operations center, the fueling station will soon be open to the public and can fuel all types of natural gas vehicles.

"This truck helps marry an environmentally clean and efficient energy source - natural gas - with work-truck capability and performance," said Michael Yount, Senior Vice President for Utility Operations, Piedmont Natural Gas. "With an expected vehicle life of 6 - 10 years, the use of natural gas in an application such as this can help promote significant reductions in a fleet's diesel usage and related emissions such as carbon monoxide, particulates and nitrogen oxide that are harmful to the environment. More importantly, because many fleets have such vehicles in operation, this project could serve as a blueprint for both public and private fleets to adopt a more environmentally proactive approach."

The truck, built by Peterbilt to Piedmont's specifications, employs a Cummins Westport Model ISL G dedicated natural gas engine built at a Cummins plant in North Carolina. The engine is the cleanest alternative to diesel currently available. According to the Environmental Defense Fund, commercially-available medium and heavy duty natural gas engines reduce carbon monoxide (CO) and particulate matter (PM) emissions by up to 90 percent, reduce nitrogen oxide (NO) emissions by more than 50 percent and reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 15 - 20 percent compared to diesel-powered engines.

"We are pleased to be working with Piedmont Natural Gas and to have provided funding for this important project that helps demonstrate the use of natural gas as an alternative transportation fuel and that supports transportation technology activities in North Carolina," said Anne Tazewell, Alternative Fuels Program Manager, NCSC. "Natural gas is a clean, safe, efficient and domestic energy resource that can play a key role in making transportation more environmentally-friendly and the air in North Carolina cleaner for generations to come."

Natural gas has seen increasing use as an alternative transportation fuel in the medium and heavy-duty truck and bus markets over the last ten years, as a result of its lower price relative to diesel and the ability of natural gas engine manufacturers to develop technologies that can meet increasingly stringent emissions standards.

Natural gas medium and heavy-duty engine manufacturers have been able to meet the stringent emissions requirements through the use of more cost-effective emissions control strategies, positioning their products to meet the strict California Air Resources Board (CARB) and EPA 2010 emissions standards at a lower total cost than provided by new diesel technology.

About the Clean Fuel Advanced Technology Project

A three year, $2 million dollar initiative of the Clean Transportation Program at the NC Solar Center (NCSC) funded by the State Energy Office, Division of Air Quality and federal Congestion Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ) funds administered by NCDOT to provide educational outreach and emission reductions in 24 NC counties that do not meet national ambient air quality standards. The NCSC has partnered with the Triangle Clean Cities and Centralina Clean Fuels Coalitions to conduct outreach in the Triangle and Charlotte Regions.

About the NC Solar Center

The mission of the North Carolina Solar Center is to advance the use of renewable energy resources to ensure a sustainable economy that protects our natural environment, encourages energy independence, and lowers energy costs for consumers. The Center will safeguard this sustainable energy future through programs to educate the public, share research and technical expertise, guide industry's energy decisions, and shape government policy. The Solar Center is sponsored by the N.C. Department of Administration's State Energy Office, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the North Carolina Solar Center Foundation. The Solar Center is operated by the College of Engineering at North Carolina State University.

About Piedmont Natural Gas

Piedmont Natural Gas is an energy services company primarily engaged in the distribution of natural gas to more than 1 million residential, commercial and industrial utility customers in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, including 62,000 customers served by municipalities who are wholesale customers. Our subsidiaries are invested in joint venture, energy-related businesses, including unregulated retail natural gas marketing, interstate natural gas storage and intrastate natural gas transportation. More information about Piedmont Natural Gas is available at www.piedmontng.com.

SOURCE Piedmont Natural Gas

Source: PR Newswire

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