FortisBC and Environmental 360 Solutions (E360S) have come together to open the first 24/7 natual gas station for vehicles in Kelowna as part of its ongoing commitment to provide cleaner energy solutions for its customers.
Special guest, Paul Coffey, a E360S investor and Hall of Fame NHLer, hosted the grand opening of the facility at the CNG station, located near the intersection of Baron Road and Underhill Street, on Monday.
Coffey, one of the highest scoring defencemen in NHL history and a four-time Stanley Cup champion, expressed how thrilled E360S was to partner with FortisBC and to be expanding from Alberta to British Columbia in an effort to cut greenhouse gass emissions for its customers.
The natural gas facility located in Kelowna will not only be open 24/7 for the E360S crew to pick up garbage and recyclables, but it will also be open for the rest of the community to use.
“It really is something that the city of Kelowna has aspired to for many years,” said Kelowna-Lake Country MLA Norm Letnick.
“We are trying to make sure that we are as environmentally progressive as we can be right here in the city of Kelowna.”
Starting tomorrow the community will see bright yellow E360s trucks picking up trash, green bins, and recyclables in the central Okanagan district. The compressed gas station houses 24 trucks and will look to add four more for a total of 28 stalls.
Danny Ardellini, founder and CEO of E360S, thanked the Regional District of the Central Okanagan for placing their trust in E360S and awarding them a seven-year contract.
“Only being 10 months old, it was a huge honor that the Regional District awarded us the contract,” said Ardellini.
Sarah Smith, director for renewable natural gas at FortisBC, said the new compressed gas station was put together in record time by Fortis, as construction began only a few months ago in July.
FortisBC is the Central Okanagan’s local energy solutions provider, serving over 1.2 million customers in British Columbia. The company’s mission is to improve the environment by providing alternative energy sources. The implementation of Kelowna’s compressed gas station is in support of that goal.
“We’re going to be a part of British Columbia’s low-carbon future,” said Smith. “This is one aspect and a very important one of the services we’re providing as we move down that road. Our goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from our customer base by 30 per cent by 2030.”
