What buyers look for in 5 kV and 15 kV equipment

Plate 01

Why the market is thin and firm

Only utilities, large industrials, mines, hospitals with campus distribution and a handful of contractors and dealers operate at 5 kV and 15 kV. So on any given month the number of active buyers for a specific metal-clad line-up is small.

But those buyers have projects with schedules and lead times measured in many months for new equipment. When a used line-up matches their requirement, it is worth a great deal to them. Thin market, firm prices, longer time to sell.

Plate 02

What has to match

Voltage class and BIL, continuous and momentary current ratings, interrupting capacity, breaker type and frame, bus configuration, and physical arrangement — indoor or outdoor, front or front-and-rear access, cable entry from above or below.

Because so much has to align, the specification detail a seller provides matters more here than anywhere else. Vague information on MV gear does not produce a conservative offer; it produces no offer, because a buyer cannot evaluate fit.

Plate 03

Testing is effectively mandatory

Nobody energizes used medium-voltage equipment without test results. Contact resistance, insulation resistance, hi-pot or partial discharge where appropriate, breaker timing, and relay calibration. A current NETA report on an MV line-up is worth real money on the offer.

If no test history exists, testing before sale is frequently justified on MV equipment in a way that it is not on low-voltage gear, simply because the values are larger.

Plate 04

Removal is a different kind of job

Medium-voltage removals involve heavier sections, cable terminations that take longer to free, mandatory grounding practice, and frequently utility coordination. Crews and equipment are more specialized and the schedule is longer.

All of that is subtracted from the equipment value, which is why MV offers should always state the removal scope explicitly. A large number with an undefined scope is not a better deal than a smaller number with a defined one.