Atlanta Gas Light (AGL) celebrated the opening of the first compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station developed under its CNG Program at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Aug. 16.

Approved by the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) in 2012, the CNG Program is designed to expand public access to the CNG fueling infrastructure throughout the state and enhance Georgia’s role in the emerging CNG market in the southeastern U.S.

AGL and The Langdale Company partnered on developing the Valdosta CNG station, with the anchor fleet vehicles purchased by The Langdale Company. The company is starting with four Class 8 tractor-trailer trucks. “To our knowledge, these are the first CNG trucks with the new Cummins-Westport 12L engine to be deployed in Georgia," according to an AGL spokesperson. "Several other fleets in the area have expressed interest and are expected to also purchase CNG vehicles, along with others that are traveling through the state due to the station’s strategic location just off I-75."

The new station – built and maintained by Langdale Fuel, an affiliate of The Langdale Company – is the first of five CNG stations awarded contracts to go into service under the AGL CNG Program. AGL’s investment in the Langdale Fuel station was approximately $1.2 million. The station will offer public access to CNG fuel for transportation vehicles, adding two fueling islands to Langdale's existing service station.

The AGL fleet includes 1,149 Class 1-8 on-road vehicles. Its parent company, AGL Resources, currently operates about 80 CNG vehicles in its fleet enterprise and has ordered about 70 more this year, the company spokesperson said.

For 2013, AGL Resources was one of the largest fleets in the country, ranking in at No. 127 on Automotive Fleet’s Top 300 Commercial Fleets.

More information on the CNG Program can be found at www.atlantagaslight.com/cngplan.