Blog Public CNG station in Písek increases capacity after one year of operation

Motorists are increasingly interested in compressed natural gas (CNG). The public CNG station built in Písek a year ago by MOTOR JIKOV and Zliner Energy s.r.o. has proven to be viable and is expanding its filling capacity.

“The station will be supplemented with a second SV1300NG compressor with a capacity of 140 m³/h. This will double the station's performance to 280 m³/h, representing an hourly production of 200 kg of CNG. The station's maximum annual capacity will then be about 1 million kg of CNG per year. For comparison, in 2013, the total CNG consumption in the Czech Republic was 16 million kg,” explains Jiří Slíva, Director of the Special Machining and Manufacturing division at MOTOR JIKOV Strojírenská a.s.

The station upgrade, including increased capacities for natural gas drying and regular maintenance and preventive servicing, will be carried out in May by partner organizations MOTOR JIKOV and SCHWELM Anlagentechnik. “The station has logged over two thousand hours of operation, functions absolutely reliably, and confirms the high quality of these fueling technologies,” notes Slíva.

Thanks to roughly half the costs compared to petrol and diesel, CNG is gaining popularity among more and more companies and organizations. Fire and rescue units, municipal police, the Czech Post, communal services, logistics companies, and carriers are showing interest. ČSAD Autobusy České Budějovice a.s. has already operated 15 buses on CNG, exclusively refueling at the public CNG station in Písek. “We plan to continue updating our CNG fleet, so we welcome the increased capacity options at the Písek station,” says Vladimír Homola, CEO of ČSAD Autobusy České Budějovice a.s.

Following Písek, MOTOR JIKOV Strojírenská a.s. launched its second public CNG filling station in February in Jindřichův Hradec and is currently constructing a new station in Český Krumlov. “Since entering the Czech market with public CNG stations in 2012, we are now building our third station within two years. With our contribution, motorists could have access to nearly a hundred such stations in the Czech Republic by the end of this year,” evaluates Miroslav Dvořák, Chairman of the Board and CEO of MOTOR JIKOV Group a.s.

MOTOR JIKOV Strojírenská a.s. develops, manufactures, and currently supplies five types of CNG filling stations. These include not only public stations but also in-house stations, which are primarily used by companies operating not only road vehicles but also forklifts and other material handling equipment on CNG.

“The MOTOR JIKOV fleet now includes 32 reference vehicles and 9 forklifts. We use two internal stations for refueling, and another will be added at the pressure casting plant in České Budějovice in May. From our experience, reducing fuel costs by half can allow companies to recoup the investment in their own filling station within two years,” adds Slíva.