Sunbelt UK to support gigaplant construction

Leila Steed Editor, Demolition & Recycling International

03 June 2022

Sunbelt Rentals UK has partnered with battery technology specialist Britishvolt, to develop its first full-scale 38GWh battery gigaplant.

The rental company is to provide an onsite equipment rental facility for the new gigaplant, which will be built in Cambois, Northumberland and will manufacture over 300,000 electric vehicle battery packs a year.

Tom Cowling, Chief Governance Officer at Britishvolt, said, “The fact that Britishvolt and Sunbelt will jointly operate an “onsite rental facility” is a huge boost to our ESG strategy and brings with it ‘economies of carbon’ as it will dramatically reduce the construction supply chain carbon footprint.”

While most of the batteries made at the site will be bound for the automotive market, Sunbelt’s agreement with the manufacturer also aims to forward the development of batteries in the construction equipment sector.

Described as a long-term collaboration that is in line with its ‘Our Plant’ ESG strategy, the partnership will see Sunbelt help Britishvolt to develop battery solutions for heavy construction plant and equipment.

Andy Wright, CEO of Sunbelt Rentals UK, said, “This is an exciting opportunity for Sunbelt Rentals to support the future of green energy. Britishvolt is striving towards the same ambition for positive environmental change as we are, they aim to accelerate the electrification of society, to deliver sustainable, low-carbon batteries on the roadmap to decarbonisation.

“This is more than just a commercial collaboration, it’s an opportunity for us to support an important part of the future of renewable energy in the UK.”

News of the partnership with Britishvolt comes just a week after Sunbelt acquired UK rental company Hybrid Power Hire, a specialist in low emission temporary power products.

Wright said, “There is an increasing market demand for alternative powered equipment to support our varied customer base across multiple sectors. This latest partnership is going to enable us to service that demand in the future.”