EDMONTON,
Sept. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - CN
(TSX: CNR) (NYSE: CNI) announced today it is testing two mainline
diesel-electric locomotives fuelled principally by natural gas in
revenue service in northern Alberta.
Keith Creel, executive
vice-president and chief operating officer, said: "CN launched this
locomotive test to explore the use of natural gas as a potential
alternative to conventional diesel fuel. This reflects CN's
continuing drive to look for ways to improve operating efficiency
and advance the company's sustainability agenda.
"Natural gas has a lower carbon content compared with diesel
fuel, so that locomotives using natural gas - if the railway
technology employing this form of energy ultimately proves viable -
would produce significantly fewer carbon dioxide emissions."
CN retrofitted the diesel engines in two 3,000-horsepower
Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD, a subsidiary of Progress Rail Services,
a Caterpillar Company (NYSE: CAT)) -- SD40-2 locomotives to run on
natural gas using conversion kits supplied by Energy Conversions
Inc. (ECI) of Tacoma, Wash. ECI
says the hybrid fuel locomotive will reduce carbon dioxide
emissions by 30 per cent and nitrogen oxide emissions by 70 per
cent over a locomotive duty cycle. Click on here to view the
locomotive set.
The retrofitted locomotives, using 90 per cent natural gas, with
10 per cent diesel fuel for ignition, are paired with a natural gas
fuel tender, or specially equipped and protected tank car, between
them. The tender was upgraded by a unit of Chart Industries, Inc.,
(NASDAQ: GTLS), located in New Prague,
Minn. Natural gas fueling is being provided by Encana
Corporation (TSX: ECA) (NYSE: ECA).
The natural gas fuelled locomotives are testing on the 300-mile
run north of Edmonton to
Fort McMurray, rail gateway to the
oil sands region of northern Alberta. Fueling and maintenance take place in
Edmonton.
CN is also working with EMD, Westport Innovations Inc. (TSX:
WPT) (NASDAQ: WPRT) and Gaz Métro Transport Solutions (GMTS), a
wholly owned subsidiary of Gaz Métro, on a longer term project to
explore a state-of-the-art natural gas railway engine and a
standardized railway tender.
CN will provide two 4,300-horsepower SD70M-2 EMD locomotives for
the test program. EMD, in addition to the engine conversion, will
supply technical expertise to integrate the natural gas engine,
related components and controls into the locomotive, including
Westport™ high-pressure direct injection (HPDI) technology and
natural gas fuel system technologies. GMTS will develop natural gas
liquefaction requirements and distribution systems. An innovative
natural gas tender for this initiative will be jointly developed by
the project partners.
The CN-led group expects to conduct engine laboratory tests in
2013 and to roll out the prototype main-line locomotives for road
tests in 2014.
As part of the project, Westport secured a funding commitment of
C$2.3 million from the Canadian
government's Sustainable Development Technology Canada program to
develop the HPDI technology for high-horsepower applications.
CN leads the North American rail industry in fuel efficiency,
consuming close to 15 per cent less fuel per gross-ton-mile overall
than the industry average. CN's lower fuel consumption results in
significantly fewer greenhouse gas emissions.
CN - Canadian National Railway Company and its operating railway
subsidiaries - spans Canada and
mid-America, from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to the
Gulf of Mexico, serving the ports
of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, B.C., Montreal, Halifax, New
Orleans, and Mobile, Ala.,
and the key metropolitan areas of Toronto, Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Duluth,
Minn./Superior, Wis.,
Green Bay, Wis., Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis, St.
Louis, and Jackson, Miss.,
with connections to all points in North
America. For more information on CN, visit the company's
website at www.cn.ca.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain information included in this news
release constitutes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning
of the United States Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and under Canadian
securities laws. CN cautions that, by their nature, these
forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and
assumptions. The Company cautions that its assumptions may not
materialize and that current economic conditions render such
assumptions, although reasonable at the time they were made,
subject to greater uncertainty. Such forward-looking statements are
not guarantees of future performance and involve known and unknown
risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual
results or performance of the Company or the rail industry to be
materially different from the outlook or any future results or
performance implied by such statements.
Important risk factors that could affect the
forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the
effects of general economic and business conditions, industry
competition, inflation, currency and interest rate fluctuations,
changes in fuel prices, legislative and/or regulatory developments,
compliance with environmental laws and regulations, actions by
regulators, various events which could disrupt operations,
including natural events such as severe weather, droughts, floods
and earthquakes, labor negotiations and disruptions, environmental
claims, uncertainties of investigations, proceedings or other types
of claims and litigation, risks and liabilities arising from
derailments, and other risks detailed from time to time in reports
filed by CN with securities regulators in Canada and the
United States. Reference should be made to "Management's
Discussion and Analysis" in CN's annual and interim reports, Annual
Information Form and Form 40-F filed with Canadian and U.S.
securities regulators, available on CN's website, for a summary of
major risks.
CN assumes no obligation to update or revise
forward-looking statements to reflect future events, changes in
circumstances, or changes in beliefs, unless required by applicable
Canadian securities laws. In the event CN does update any
forward-looking statement, no inference should be made that CN will
make additional updates with respect to that statement, related
maters, or any other forward-looking statement.
SOURCE CN