United Rentals expands New Zealand push with cleaner kit

United Rentals is expanding in New Zealand with an investment in renewable energy and lower-emissions hire equipment, as it completes the rebrand of 11 sites acquired through its purchase of Royal Wolf.

The expansion adds products for customers looking to cut worksite emissions and meet internal sustainability targets. The range includes hybrid generators, Battery Energy Storage Systems, portable solar skids for container offices and portable buildings, and a solar-powered Site Hub.

United Rentals supplies mobile storage and container worksite solutions to the infrastructure, construction, agriculture, events and retail sectors. Since acquiring shipping container company Royal Wolf, its New Zealand business has been reshaped, with the latest investment marking a broader push into energy-related hire products.

Demand for lower-emissions equipment is rising as infrastructure and construction activity continues across the country. United Rentals cited projects including Auckland's GBP £700 million Eastern Busway and a growing number of solar developments as areas where Battery Energy Storage Systems and Site Hubs are already being used.

Cleaner worksites

United Rentals said its solar-powered Site Hub can cut emissions by more than 95% on a typical worksite compared with one relying on a traditional diesel generator. It said the unit can also save up to $25,000 a year and help customers reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 90%, with the remaining 10% neutralised through offsets.

Battery Energy Storage Systems are also becoming more prominent in temporary site power. They store energy for later use and are designed to reduce fuel use and electricity consumption on worksites that would otherwise rely more heavily on conventional generation.

In Ruakākā, south of Whangārei, Hiringa Energy used a solar-powered Site Hub as a base for workers during construction of a solar-to-hydrogen farm. The project shows how the equipment is being used beyond traditional building sites and in emerging parts of the energy sector.

The investment is intended to meet current customer demand while positioning the business to support infrastructure projects and expand in areas including geothermal, hydropower and solar. This broadens United Rentals' New Zealand focus beyond its established storage and container offering and into site energy systems.

Rebrand completed

The nationwide rebrand covers 11 locations in New Zealand. It follows the integration of Royal Wolf into United Rentals' international business, giving the group a larger local footprint as it aligns the former container hire business with its wider rental operations.

The refrigerated container segment is also being updated, with remote temperature monitoring now offered to give customers more oversight and flexibility in managing temperature-sensitive goods.

Graham Allison, District Manager - New Zealand, said local demand had shifted towards equipment that could support customers' environmental targets as well as operational needs.

"These products not only support projects to meet and exceed sustainability targets, they also enable companies to make significant savings and gain that all-important competitive advantage," said Allison, District Manager - New Zealand, United Rentals.

He also pointed to the use of the Site Hub on the Hiringa Energy project.

"Like many of our customers, Hiringa Energy is committed to meeting decarbonisation and net zero targets, so using a Site Hub helps them, their customers, and also fits with their renewable energy ethos," said Allison.

United Rentals describes itself as the world's largest hire company. The group has 19 locations in New Zealand, alongside a wider network spanning North America, Europe and Australia, and a global equipment fleet with an original cost of USD $22.59 billion.