Selecting the Best Fuel Option

Natural gas has been gaining popularity across a range of industrial applications due to influencing factors such as its stability and reliability, its cost effectiveness, its clean burning nature and its resilient infrastructure. These factors started attracting facility managers and engineers, but now Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ’s) are now recognizing natural gas as a viable fuel choice. 

An AHJ can come from a variety of regulating organizations and looks to enforce guidelines and codes for any given or assigned area or jurisdiction. Authorities Having Jurisdiction are now beginning to accept natural gas generators as a sole off-site fuel source because these generators rely on a strong underground pipeline network that is rarely impacted by weather. 



The large network of natural gas pipelines, paired with the diversity of gas supply and storage options, provides resiliency in the event of a localized failure. The networked transmission and distribution systems enable operators to reroute the gas supply from alternative production sources or pipelines. This resilient infrastructure offers a more reliable gas source for facilities in comparison to diesel or other sources. 

With AHJ’s taking special interest in code and regulation compliance, the clean burning nature of natural gas also follows environmental codes, making it a top choice for many regulatory managers. In comparison to other fuel options like oil and coal, the emissions of sulfur, nitrogen and carbon dioxide (CO2 – a greenhouse gas) are considerably lower. When burned, natural gas releases 50 percent less CO2 than coal and 20 to 30 percent less than oil. Natural gas can be a solution to the “smokestack” issue and meet tricky environmental standards.
 

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