A new compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station built by TrilliumCNG officially opened in Tampa FL November 15 to support Dillon Transport Inc trucks that are hauling agricultural products for The Mosaic Company. It is also the first CNG station in Hillsborough County open to the public.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony completed a process started in 2012 when Mosaic began planning the conversion of the contract truck fleet serving its manufacturing operations to compressed natural gas. Next month, 50 new trucks operated by Dillon Transport and powered by CNG will be on the road delivering raw materials, fertilizer and animal feed ingredients throughout Central Florida for the global crop nutrient supplier.
"The new, larger capacity trucks will be safer and better for the environment because they will enable us to reduce the total number of trips between facilities while also leading the way in the use of clean-burning CNG in fleet vehicles," said Rich Krakowski, Mosaic vice-president of Supply Chain. "Typically, transportation is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Working together with Dillon and Trillium, our contract trucks will operate more safely, lower our customers' costs, and reduce emissions to the environment--a win-win for all of us."
In 2012, Mosaic issued a Request for Proposals for its contract truck fleet in Florida that called for natural gas fueled vehicles. Mosaic awarded the new carrier contract to Dillon Transport. However, a CNG supply infrastructure to support the new fleet did not exist in the Tampa Bay area at the time of the conversion decision. To meet the requirements of its new contract with Mosaic, Dillon partnered with Trillium to build and operate a new CNG filling station on US Highway 41 and Madison Avenue near the Port of Tampa.
Using CNG reduces Mosaic's environmental footprint while providing a stable and economic fuel source, Krakowski said. Natural gas cuts greenhouse gas emissions by more than 20% and nitrogen oxide emissions by 50%. With CNG costing up to 40% less than diesel, the switch to this clean-burning, domestically-produced fuel makes good business sense. As part of its phosphate fertilizer production, Mosaic moves more than 30 million tons of raw materials and finished products each year in Florida by truck, rail, barge, and ship.
