Wawa Opens Its First CNG Station at N.J. C-store

PAULSBORO, N.J. — Wawa Inc. opened its first compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station here Thursday through a venture partnership with South Jersey Gas Co., reported CBS Philly.

Wawa Vice President Brian Schaller said CNG only powers 150,000 vehicles in the United States, but those numbers are rapidly increasing and the convenience store and fuel operator wants to be ahead of the curve when it comes to providing renewable fuel sources.

“Compressed natural gas is a worthy alternative to traditional fuels like gasoline and diesel,” Schaller said. “Gasoline and diesel are still going to be a dominant fuel in this country, our infrastructure is built around it, but there’s no question over the next 25 years, it’s projected to decline 10 percent.”

Wawa officials said in addition to being cleaner burning, CNG vehicles show an average reduction in ozone-forming emissions of 80 percent compared to gasoline vehicles, the news outlet reported.

Wawa entered the joint venture with South Jersey Gas in 2014, as CSNews Online previously reported. At the time of the announcement, Schaller said: “This joint project with South Jersey Gas is another step in the evolution of Wawa's fuel offer, providing an alternative that is cheaper, cleaner and domestically available. Compressed natural gas provides an opportunity to increase the value of our fuel and convenience offer to the customer, and positions us for the future. We are excited about the growth potential of this alternative fuel."

South Jersey Gas, the principal subsidiary of South Jersey Industries, provides natural gas service to more than 300,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers.

Wawa operates more than 700 convenience stores in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Florida. It employs approximately 22,000 associates.