Ocado expands CNG filling capacity

Online retailer Ocado is to open a second CNG filling station to serve its heavy truck fleet.

The facility, at its Dordon customer fulfilment centre, will open in the second quarter of next year, and follows the opening of a self-funded gas filling station in Hatfield last January.

Ocado’s Dordon station will replace an existing facility that fuels 10 CNG trucks currently operating from the site, and will facilitate the replacement of the remaining 70 trucks based there with CNG units.

The facility at Dordon will be a tanker-fed operation, with Ocado signing a 10-year supply agreement with Gasrec. This development will allow Ocado to more than double the numbers its CNG units over the next three years, with over two-thirds of its total fleet running on natural gas.

Graham Thomas, fleet operations manager at Ocado Group, said: “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.

“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.

“We are committed to transitioning away from diesel and the performance of the Iveco 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.”

Environmental benefits of switching to natural gas include 99 per cent fewer particulate emissions and 70 per cent less nitrogen oxide than the latest diesel standard. Natural gas-powered vehicles are also, on average, 10db quieter than diesel vehicles, significantly reducing their impact in residential areas.

Gasrec currently supplies a minimum 50 per cent biomethane blend to Ocado, meaning significant reductions in CO2 output – up to 68 per cent across the fleet calculated from the total amount of biomethane used. The company plans to increase the ratio of biomethane in the mix to further reduce the carbon footprint of the operation.

James Westcott, chief commercial officer at Gasrec, said: “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 refuelling site in Dordon.”