Atlanta Gas Light moves ahead on natural gas fueling stations

Atlanta Gas Light has signed contracts to open five compressed natural gas fueling stations in Georgia.

Two of the contracts are exclusively with the City of Atlanta for new CNG trucks. The other three contracts are with Premier Transportation in Forest Park; Langsdale’s in Valdosta; and Colonial Oil in Savannah. Those stations will be open for public use.

The stations are expected to be ready in mid-2013.

AGL is using $6.5 million of roughly $12 million from a public universal service fund for the stations. The money, approved by the state’s Public Service Commission, is to encourage private investors to build CNG fueling stations.

Private investors have to ensure to AGL that they will have 30,000 gallons of natural gas — about 30 percent of the annual capacity for a typical station — under contract in the first year.