United Kingdom: Gasrec will build second biomethane station for Ocado
Ocado Group has signed an agreement to open a further CNG station at its Dordon Customer Fulfilment Centre. In January 2019, the online supermarket became the first UK retailer to self-fund the purchase of an onsite grid-connected gas refueling station at its depot in Hatfield. The new facility is due to open in Q2 2022 and will again be designed and built by Gasrec to fuel the 10 CNG trucks already running from the site and allow for the remaining Dordon fleet (70 units) to transition from diesel to blended biomethane.
“The results we have seen since beginning our switch to natural 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 natural 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 trucks operating from Hatfield and Dordon, this latest development will allow Ocado to more than double their total CNG units over the next three years, with over two thirds of its total fleet running on natural gas.
“We are committed to transitioning away from diesel, and the performance of the IVECO natural gas trucks we have in service, as well as the resilience of the facilities and support Gasrec has provided for us so far, has only strengthened our conviction,” added Thomas.
Gasrec currently supplies a minimum 50% biomethane blend to Ocado, meaning significant reductions in CO2 output – 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, commented: “Ocado Group 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 refueling site in Dordon.”
