Fiedler Group Supports Iwatani’s Roll-Out Of Hydrogen Fueling Stations Despite Covid
April 28th, 2023 by Fiedler Group
Fiedler Group was contracted by Iwatani Corporation of America (ICA) to perform the multi-site program known as Futurity. Fiedler Group services included both Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) and Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) services for six (6) light duty hydrogen fueling facilities in existing retail petroleum stations located in Anaheim, Corona, Hawaiian Gardens, La Mirada, Santa Ana, and Seal Beach, California. Despite the processing delays experienced during the time of Covid, Fiedler Group had all project sites designed, permitted and constructed in record time. ICA selected NEL Hydrogen to supply the integrated hydrogen fueling system for the program.
As the Engineer of Record for the Futurity Program, Fiedler Group provided design expertise and technical oversight on each project. FEED services included delivering preliminary conceptual designs to ensure site viability; entitlement processing with the completion of Site Investigation Reports to evaluate capability and capacity for site development as well as barriers to execution; and engineering and design sets for permitting and AHJ review. Furthermore, Fiedler Group provided continuous construction management support during the design phase to ensure constructability and expediency during construction. Fiedler Group selected Fastech for the construction of all six locations.
HAWAIIAN GARDENS
The first of six projects to be completed for ICA was co-located at an existing 76 gas station. The site at 11807 E. Carson Street, Hawaiian Gardens, CA was enhanced with a hydrogen fueling station that included two fuel dispensers supported by an equipment compound holding the storage and compression equipment required to operate the dispensers.
Fiedler Group saved our client a significant amount of costs by presenting to the AHJ options to eliminate design requirements for additional water lines and service. The initial requirement included an irrigation water meter for the planned landscape area. However, Fiedler Group designed the Landscape Water Efficiency Plan to intercept the water line on the private property and use the existing meter for both irrigation and domestic service.
Construction of the hydrogen fueling facility was completed on October 22, 2021, with an approximate construction duration of 4 months.
SEAL BEACH
The second Futurity project to be completed for ICA was co-located at an existing 76 gas station. The site at 13980 Seal Beach Blvd. Seal Beach, CA was enhanced with a hydrogen fueling station that included two fuel dispensers supported by an equipment compound holding the storage and compression equipment required to operate the dispensers.
This project was another Fiedler First, as we were given the opportunity to design and construct the first hydrogen station in the City of Seal Beach. Fiedler Group’s extensive experience in bringing new fueling solutions to cities allowed us to anticipate the jurisdiction’s concerns and resolve them to facilitate entitlement and permit processing.
One of the challenges presented involved the restrictions against modifying the existing canopy. Fiedler Group’s solution was to design and construct a canopy “spanner” which provided the client the opportunity to showcase their logo and hydrogen branding.
Construction of the project was completed on February 17, 2022, with an approximate duration of 6 months.
ANAHEIM
The third Futurity project to be completed for ICA was co-located at an existing Mobil gas station. The site at 1100 N. Euclid Street. Anaheim, CA was enhanced with a hydrogen fueling station that included two fuel dispensers supported by an equipment compound holding the storage and compression equipment required to operate the dispensers.
One of the challenges Fiedler Group overcame on this project was the management of stakeholders to energize the site. This process was a milestone in the construction of these sites and required careful coordination. Fiedler Group collaborated with all parties to have the site energized after normal working hours, thereby ensuring that the project schedule was not impacted.
The Anaheim project was completed on April 15, 2022, with an approximate construction duration of 5 months.
CORONA
The fourth Futurity project to be completed for ICA was co-located at an existing Mobil gas station. The site at 616 Paseo Grande, Corona, CA was enhanced with a hydrogen fueling station that included two fuel dispensers supported by an equipment compound holding the storage and compression equipment required to operate the dispensers.
The Corona site had several unique obstacles. During the Preliminary Phase, Fiedler Group discovered that the site had various conflicting and outdated recorded property lines that impacted the constructability within the proposed location of the equipment compound and canopy. Fiedler Group was retained to ensure that a Lot Line Adjustment was granted. A Lot Line Adjustment is an extensive process that involves altering the property lines of existing parcels of land. Fiedler Group successfully obtained a Certificate of Compliance granting the adjustment that included the merging of a Lot that had been acquired by the City via annexation from the County. In addition, we successfully obtained a release of an existing but unused utility easement on the property returning 74 feet of land to the site owner, while also providing a third access point to the site, and clean Title to the property.
The hydrogen fueling facility was completed on June 24, 2022, with an approximate construction duration of 5 months.
SANTA ANA
The fifth Futurity project to be completed for ICA was co-located at an existing Shell gas station. The site at 2120 E. McFadden Ave. Santa Ana, CA was enhanced with a hydrogen fueling station that included two fuel dispensers supported by an equipment compound holding the storage and compression equipment required to operate the dispensers.
Fiedler Group was able to reduce the entitlement and permitting schedule significantly by preemptively communicating with the City’s Planning Department to address any concerns and expedite an administrative review of the proposed project. Fiedler Group facilitated the extensive negotiation process to have easement documents modified and accepted by SCE, the site owner, and the neighboring property owner for the installation of new electrical equipment, as well as acceptance of transformer use on a neighboring property.
Once preconstruction issues were mitigated, the site was completed on July 7, 2022, with an approximate construction duration of 5 months.
LA MIRADA
The sixth Futurity project to be completed for ICA was co-located at an existing ARCO gas station. The site at 13550 S. Beach Blvd., La Mirada, CA was enhanced with a hydrogen fueling station that included two fuel dispensers supported by an equipment compound holding the storage and compression equipment required to operate the dispensers.
This site had one of the most interesting utility challenges we have had the opportunity to resolve to date. During the Preliminary Phase of the project a few challenges were discovered: (1) the existing gas station’s electrical transformer also served power to the neighboring Fire Station, (2) the existing gas station and the Fire Station were in two different jurisdictions, and (3) the same city that owned the Fire Station also owned an easement on the gas station property that conflicted with the proposed location of the equipment compound. The primary obstacle to the project was that, regardless of the solution, the Fire Station could not be without power for any amount of time. Therefore, after extensive research and negotiation with relevant stakeholders, Fiedler Group successfully resolved to have SCE provide the Fire Station with independent power lines and transformer.
The La Mirada project site was completed on December 21, 2022, with an approximate construction duration of 7 months.
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