SoCalGas Breaks Ground on New Facility for its Bakersfield Base
May 8th, 2018 by Fiedler Group
Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) announced on April 9th, 2018 the official groundbreaking on construction of its new regional base on McMurtrey Ave., near the connection of Highways 99 and 65 in Bakersfield, CA. The facility will include a 31,370 square-foot main building with conference space, a separate storage building, garage, a solar electric energy system, and a compressed natural gas (CNG) station for the company and public use.
“This new facility will allow us to bring together all of our Bakersfield base employees in one convenient location between Highway 99 and Highway 65 that will allow our field technicians to better serve our Kern County customers,” said Paul Goldstein, SoCalGas vice president of customer services. “In addition, now we will have a regional facility available for employee training.”
“This building will include a photovoltaic solar energy system and is designed to be net-zero energy, meaning the total energy used by the building will be roughly equal to the amount of renewable energy created on the site,” Gina Orozco-Mejia, SoCalGas vice president of gas distribution, said. “In addition, it will have a Customer Demonstration Center, so we can display the many emerging gas technologies created with support from SoCalGas that deliver meaningful greenhouse gas emissions reductions.”
“We’re very pleased to have SoCalGas service technicians in this new location to serve the more than 100,000 Kern County homes and businesses that rely on affordable natural gas,” said Bakersfield Mayor Karen Goh.
“I’m thrilled that this facility will offer a natural gas fueling station for trucks traveling Highways 99 and 65,” Kern County Supervisor David Couch (District 4) said. “The transportation sector is responsible for about 40 percent of California’s greenhouse gas emissions and more than 80 percent of the state’s smog-forming emissions, so it’s crucial to have resources like this for clean natural gas and renewable natural gas heavy duty trucks that can improve air quality and the health of people in Kern County.”
Construction is estimated to finish in early 2019.
Fiedler Group provided the engineering, design and permitting for the public access CNG fueling facility for heavy duty vehicles, as well as, the fleet fueling infrastructure including CNG, unleaded and diesel fuels. For more information on how Fiedler Group can assist in your future endeavors, please contact us today.
