Mahoning Valley’s first compressed natural gas fueling station opened

By David Skolnick | July 23, 2014 at 12:08a.m.

MINERAL RIDGE

IGS CNG Services opened the first compressed-natural-gas fueling station in the Mahoning Valley, investing about $2 million in the facility.

The station, which opened Tuesday, is located at Mr. Fuel on Salt Springs Road in Weathersfield Township. IGS has two other CNG stations in Ohio — Dublin and Orrville — and three in West Virginia. It’s also planning to open stations in Dayton and Findlay.

“Our plan responds to the emerging market demand for fast, convenient refueling of CNG vehicles,” said Scott White, company president. “We want to create the opportunity to travel all over the region without a worry of whether you can find a location to fuel up with compressed natural gas.”

White said opening CNG stations is “a bit of a risk to our company.”

Out of 200 million vehicles in the country, about 120,000 run on CNG, he said.

“It’s a fraction,” White said.

But the company is banking on companies with fleets of large trucks that use diesel fuel converting to CNG, he said.

The cost of CNG is $2.249 a gallon equivalent, about $1.65 a gallon cheaper than diesel.

“We don’t know if the mass market will be [an option for expansion] in the future,” White said.

Among those attending Tuesday’s grand opening was Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, a Republican, who said the area is “blessed to have natural resources” that can be used for energy.

“I’ve been very involved in advocating for the aggressive and responsible exploration of natural resources,” he said. “I believe domestic-energy production in Ohio and in America is a job creator for our people, and also a way to become independent from radical Islamic regimes in the Middle East.”

Also, CNG “brings down energy costs for families and small businesses,” Mandel said.

At the event, Youngstown Mayor John A. McNally, a Democrat, said the station is “perfectly located off of Interstate 80,” and it “will play a vital role in servicing businesses and citizens who want to convert to compressed natural gas.”

Mike Chadsey, spokesman for the Ohio Oil and Gas Association, said, “To see the incredible investment taking place is very exciting and very encouraging. There’s more to come.”