Registration Required; Bids Being Accepted Plantation & Online
Auction action was fast and furious Wednesday, the first day of Duke Energy’s sale of unused and surplus tools, parts and equipment from the retired Crystal River Nuclear Plant. The event runs through Friday and includes a live auction at the Plantation on Crystal River, which is also being webcast for bidding or just viewing online.
On the block are more than 1 million items broken down into about 3,000 lots, detailed in a 173-page catalog. Interested bidders had two days to physically inspect the items, which were also displayed online.
Heritage Global Partners, handling the auction, was scheduled to get through the first 1,216 lots Wednesday, the second 1,500 today and the remaining lots on Friday.
“At 10 a.m. this morning, we had approximately 50 people at the Plantation on Crystal River and 272 online bidders,” said Duke Energy spokeswoman Heather Danenhower. “The online bidders were from across the United States and eight other countries, including Peru, Australia, Canada, Germany, Jamaica, Mexico, South Korea and the U.K.”
She said they will not have total participation numbers until the event closes Friday.
According to Heritage Global, the auction involves approximately $100 million worth of items. Some are unique to the energy industry, while many could be repurposed for other uses. And a lot of items were described as “nuclear quality.”
While the webcast bidders outnumbered the in-person crowd, auctioneer Ross Dove made sure they stayed engaged, exhorting them not to be outbid by the online offers.
Prices for many items started low, such as a pallet of electric motors that opened at $50 and sold for $175. However, Danenhower noted that Alex Dove, also with Heritage Global, said some motors were selling for higher than expected prices, while a bidder thought the valves were priced high.
Once final payment is made, buyers have until Oct. 29 to remove their purchases from the energy complex. Sale results are expected to be available in November.
Interested bidders can still participate, but must register in person or online. Guest viewing is also available at www.hgpauction.com.
Contact Chronicle reporter Pat Faherty at 352-564-2924 or pfaherty@chronicleonline.com.