Knoxville Utilities Board Celebrates Opening of First Public CNG Fueling Station

The Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB) celebrated the grand opening of Knoxville’s first publicly accessible CNG fueling station. KUB President and CEO Mintha Roach was joined by Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero and other local officials for the grand opening event that included a fueling demonstration. The station will be open to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“This station bolsters our efforts to reduce our carbon footprint and make Knoxville greener,” Rogero said. “In addition to providing service to the City of Knoxville’s CNG vehicles, it fills a void in the state’s network of public CNG stations by adding service near the junction of interstates 40 and 75.”

KUB’s commitment to sustainability was the impetus behind the decision to invest $2.5 million to open the CNG fueling station. It replaces an outdated station that was available only for KUB’s fleet.

“Opening this station means that customers now have a cleaner and more affordable transportation fuel option,” KUB President and CEO Mintha Roach said. “This is not only good for the environment, but it also makes good business sense because the average cost of CNG is lower than gasoline or diesel.”

KUB also received receipt of a grant from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) to help expand KUB’s fleet of alternative fuel vehicles. TDEC officials were on hand at the opening to present KUB a $67,500 grant, which will help fund conversion of three KUB trucks to operate on CNG. This supports KUB’s plan to double its CNG fleet to approximately 100 vehicles by 2020.