New Remote Monitoring Centre takes Gasrec's safety and reliability to the next level

Gasrec has opened a Remote Monitoring Centre to watch and react to real-time data from every one of the company’s biomethane refuelling stations across the UK, plus its tanker fleet, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

The information will be closely watched by an initial team of six control centre operators, who will be able to monitor gas levels to prevent shortages, plus detect equipment faults or potential safety issues immediately and respond accordingly – working closely with Gasrec’s team of regional engineers and on-site technicians.

Tony Robinson, Chief Technical Officer at Gasrec, says: “The safety and resilience of our operations is at the heart of everything we do. Historically this work has been incorporated into our operations and engineering team but the substantial growth of the business over the past two years has enabled us to take things to the next level.

“Our Remote Monitoring Centre team have undergone intensive on-site training, ensuring they are all familiar with our stations and equipment. Through the latest technology, they will be able to monitor every aspect of our operation, ensuring we can react to potential issues before our customers even know there is a problem.”

The centre operators – all filling new positions within the company – will be able to access and control CCTV footage of every Gasrec facility, allowing them to identify problems quickly while also offering advice or assistance to drivers fuelling their vehicles whatever time of day or night.

Detailed data on the biomethane levels at each station, as well as every Gasrec tanker on the road, will be fed into the centre – ensuring that customers across the UK always have enough fuel to keep their fleets moving.

“Fuel availability at every location is a top priority, particularly as the demand from fleets transitioning from diesel to biomethane ramps up so quickly,” adds Robinson.

“With the Remote Monitoring Centre now in place – as well as quickly responding to defects, faults or breakdowns – we can also make sure our bulk deliveries are perfectly timed to replenish supplies, giving us increased confidence in our stock levels. This has been a significant investment in our infrastructure network, but also a critical move to ensure we can meet the huge demand we’re seeing from fleets wanting to transition from diesel to a cleaner and more sustainable fuel.”

The team at the RMC – located in Daventry, not far from Gasrec’s flagship refuelling centre at Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal (DIRFT) – will also become the single point of contact for all the business’s customers, partners and suppliers.