Ocado to open UK CNG refuelling station with Gasrec
Online supermarket Ocado Group has signed a deal to open another CNG refuelling station in the UK, using a higher biomethane blend.
In January 2019, Ocado became the first UK retailer to self-fund the purchase of an on-site grid-connected gas refuelling station at its depot in Hatfield. The new facility, at the firm’s Dordon Customer Fulfilment Centre in Warwickshire, is due to open in Q2 2022 and will be designed and built by Gasrec.
The new CNG station will fuel the 10 CNG tractor units already running from the site and allow for the remaining Dordon tractor fleet (70 in total), to transition from diesel to blended biomethane.
“The results we have seen since beginning our switch to gas have been fantastic and shown that we are on the right path to a cleaner, more environmentally-friendly future,” said Graham Thomas, fleet operations manager at Ocado Group.
“This new facility at Dordon will allow us to get more gas trucks on the road and access delivery routes further up the country with our CNG fleet.”
The facility at Dordon will be a tanker-fed operation, with Ocado signing a 10-year supply agreement with Gasrec. With 60 natural gas-powered trucks operating from Hatfield and Dordon, this latest development will allow Ocado to more than double its total CNG units over the next three years, with over two-thirds of the fleet running on natural gas.
Gasrec currently supplies a minimum 50% biomethane blend to Ocado, meaning significant CO2 reductions – up to 68% across the fleet calculated from the total amount of biomethane used. Going forward, the mix of biomethane is being increased, making further inroads to cleaner transport.
James Westcott, chief commercial officer at Gasrec, said: “Ocado continues to take great strides in reducing the carbon footprint of its transport operation. We have built a fantastic working relationship with them over the past few years and are delighted they have chosen us again to build and deliver the new refuelling site in Dordon.”
In January 2019, Ocado became the first UK retailer to self-fund the purchase of an on-site grid-connected gas refuelling station at its depot in Hatfield. The new facility, at the firm’s Dordon Customer Fulfilment Centre in Warwickshire, is due to open in Q2 2022 and will be designed and built by Gasrec.
The new CNG station will fuel the 10 CNG tractor units already running from the site and allow for the remaining Dordon tractor fleet (70 in total), to transition from diesel to blended biomethane.
“The results we have seen since beginning our switch to gas have been fantastic and shown that we are on the right path to a cleaner, more environmentally-friendly future,” said Graham Thomas, fleet operations manager at Ocado Group.
“This new facility at Dordon will allow us to get more gas trucks on the road and access delivery routes further up the country with our CNG fleet.”
The facility at Dordon will be a tanker-fed operation, with Ocado signing a 10-year supply agreement with Gasrec. With 60 natural gas-powered trucks operating from Hatfield and Dordon, this latest development will allow Ocado to more than double its total CNG units over the next three years, with over two-thirds of the fleet running on natural gas.
Gasrec currently supplies a minimum 50% biomethane blend to Ocado, meaning significant CO2 reductions – up to 68% across the fleet calculated from the total amount of biomethane used. Going forward, the mix of biomethane is being increased, making further inroads to cleaner transport.
James Westcott, chief commercial officer at Gasrec, said: “Ocado continues to take great strides in reducing the carbon footprint of its transport operation. We have built a fantastic working relationship with them over the past few years and are delighted they have chosen us again to build and deliver the new refuelling site in Dordon.”
