By Keith Regan, Contributing Writer
Westborough–The Board of Selectmen Aug. 26 approved the town's first compressed natural gas (CNG) retail dispensing facility.
The board unanimously approved an expanded fuel storage permit for the Shell Station at 27 E. Main St., operated by GTY of MA/NH Leasing Inc.
The permit allows for the storage of up to 16,229 cubic feet of CNG.
Marc Belanger of Bohler Engineering told the board the fuel will be compressed on site and dispensed into vehicles that run on CNG, which mainly include fleets of small trucks operated by corporate customers such as local electric utilities.
Attorney Marshall Gould said the CNG facility will be the first in Westborough and one of the first in the area.
“There is one in Worcester but beyond that the next one is 50 miles away,” he said. More automakers are bringing passenger vehicles to market that run on CNG, he noted.
The gas will be piped directly into the station through existing lines. The gas is compressed as it is being dispensed, and the system is designed so that the product cannot be accidentally dispensed into vehicles that operate on gasoline, Belanger said.
Gould noted that the Design Review Board had given its approval to the location of the storage container, which will be between the station and the Bay State Commons property behind it.
Fire Chief Walter Perron said after reviewing the detailed plans and doing some research, his department is satisfied the facility is safe.
“An accident is very unlikely to happen,” he said.