Stripes Opens First CNG Fueling Stations

MIDLAND, Texas – Stripes has officially joined the compressed natural gas (CNG) retail market. The division of Susser Holdings Corp. opened its first CNG fueling stations at a location in Midland, Texas, home to more than 111,000 residents in the western part of the Lone Star State.

Although the location offered the alternative fuel previously, Stripes officials officially celebrated the occasion yesterday. "Behind me is a new form of hydrocarbons, a new form of motor fuel," Stripes President and CEO Steve DeSutter said at the event, reported MyWestTexas.com. Stripes spent $1 million to install the CNG facilities at 3200 Highway 158, and worked in partnership with Apache Corp.

"We approached Stripes a couple of years ago, at a time when CNG was not well known," Mark Bruchman, Apache’s general manager of operations, said at the celebration.

CNG is purported to be cleaner burning, locally available in abundance and more environmental friendly than its traditional gasoline counterpart. In addition, it is currently much cheaper than traditional gasoline. Natural gas was quoted at $1.46 per gallon this week, about $2 less per gallon than regular gasoline. 

Despite many benefits, natural gas will take time to saturate the landscape, DeSutter acknowledged, but it will happen. "[CNG] is coming fast and it’s coming heavy," he said.

CNG stations are beginning to pop up throughout the country. Kwik Trip Inc., Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores and OnCue Express are among the convenience store retailers that currently operate CNG fueling stations.

Stripes is a division of Corpus Christi, Texas-based Susser Holdings Corp., which operates 570 c-stores and gas stations in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico.