Decommissioning seems simple. Contract with a provider, accept a price, and let them haul the transformer away. Dig a little deeper, however, and it’s clear that the quality of decommissioning
arrangements can vary widely, as can the quality of partners. Accepting an offer without thoroughly researching your options may mean lowering the amount you recover from the asset, or even exposing your organization to significant future liability.

Getting the Most for Your Asset

The amount you receive for your decommissioned transformer will be determined by the purchaser’s ability to monetize its key components or reuse it entirely. These components are its salvageable parts (tap changers, bushings, etc.), its oil, and its metals. By choosing a decommissioning partner that has direct relationships with metals processors, recycles oil in-house, and reuses transformer accessories for refurbishing, you’ll dramatically increase the value of your transformer. In some cases, you may even find that your transformer is still a candidate for refurbishment by highly skilled technicians, giving it even more value.

Know Who Is Removing and Handling Your Materials

In addition to helping you get the best price for your asset, working with an experienced and reputable decommissioning partner will also help protect you from short- and long-term liability. Do they have experience in the environment you are asking them to work in? Have they decommissioned entire substations? Are they using subcontractors or performing the work themselves? You should also be aware that some recyclers serve as middlemen who hand off your materials to third parties for processing. Their mishandling of PCBs or poor record-keeping can leave you open to fines or other legal actions years into the future.

A reputable partner may also carry insurance listing you as an “additional insured” or “certificate holder” on the policy. This provides an additional safeguard between you and your retired assets and increases your indemnity protection, typically at no direct cost to you.

CONTACT US

Let us be your decommissioning partner to add simplicity to your haul –  contact one of our experts today by calling 800.908.8800.