Oil and gas exploration and production company Apache Corp. has opened its first public-access compressed natural gas (CNG) refueling station in Louisiana, at 515 East Verot School Rd. in Lafayette.

The station, which will accommodate a large complement of public and private natural gas vehicles (NGVs) in the area, features two dual-hose fueling dispensers capable of fueling four cars simultaneously at a rate of three-to-four gallons equivalent per minute. The self-service station accepts a range of credit cards, as well as standard fleet cards.

The site is unattended, but users can contact an Apache representative with questions about CNG refueling by calling a toll-free number posted on the pumps, the company says.

For its part, Apache has already converted 274 of its fleet vehicles to run on CNG, and a total of 350 will be converted by the end of the year. By 2015, the company expects to have 80% of its 1,000-plus fleet in the U.S. converted.