Selling a used gas turbine starts with making the asset understandable to a qualified buyer. The model name and asking price attract an initial look; identity, condition, scope and records determine whether a technical evaluation can proceed.
For an owner or authorized representative, the work is to assemble one consistent account of what is being sold, what can be demonstrated and when the equipment can be released. That account should remain consistent as the opportunity moves from the first summary to inspection and handover.
This guide explains how to prepare the documentation, distinguish asking price from valuation evidence, qualify enquiries and define a usable sale scope.
Key Takeaways
- Establish the equipment identity, location and authority to offer it.
- Describe condition with records and completed work rather than unsupported labels.
- Separate an asking price from a supported valuation or completed transaction price.
- Qualify the buyer's project and define inspection, payment and removal responsibilities.
Identify the asset and your role#
Prepare a serial-number schedule covering the turbine, generator and major package components. Record the full model designation, package builder, year where documented, current location and operating status.
State whether you own the asset, represent the owner or are introducing an opportunity. Explain the basis on which the equipment can be offered and who can authorize diligence, inspection and the eventual sale.
Do not imply exclusive access unless the relevant agreement establishes it. If several parties are involved, clarify the representation and fee arrangements before circulating a competing description of the same equipment.
Use the appropriate SecondWatt equipment dossier to identify the family, while keeping the asset's records as the authority for its actual configuration.
Create one consistent asset description before marketing#
A turbine opportunity can accumulate contradictory descriptions as it passes between owners, representatives and potential buyers. Prevent that by maintaining one approved asset summary with a revision date. Keep the exact model, serial-number references, scope and condition consistent across the teaser, document index and detailed offer.
For family identification, use the relevant OEM reference alongside the actual records. GE Vernova's LM6000 page and Solar's Titan 130 power-generation page describe named current products. They do not establish that a legacy unit being marketed has the same rating, enhancements or supplied scope.
If the installed configuration is not yet confirmed, say so in the asset summary. It is better to offer a clearly identified documentation gap than to copy a current performance figure into the listing. The buyer can then decide whether additional diligence is worthwhile.
Build a document index buyers can review#
The first submission should show which documents exist, their dates and how they relate to the asset. Complete technical records can be made available through the agreed diligence process.
| Document group | What to assemble |
|---|---|
| Identification | Nameplates, serial numbers and equipment schedule |
| Configuration | Original specifications, as-built drawings and recorded upgrades |
| Operation | Hours, starts, duty, fuels and available operating logs |
| Maintenance | Inspections, borescope reports, repairs and replaced-part records |
| Performance | Available test reports and their conditions |
| Preservation | Shutdown, storage, preservation and maintenance logs |
| Package scope | Included equipment, exclusions, spares and shared systems |
| Logistics | Location, access, dimensions, weights and removal constraints |
If a record is unavailable, state that directly. A buyer can evaluate a known gap; an unsupported claim creates uncertainty about the rest of the submission.
The remaining-life and service-record guide explains how buyers assess this evidence.
Use public operating records in their proper role#
For relevant U.S. facilities, EIA Form 860 contains generator and facility information, while EIA Form 923 contains reported generation and fuel-use data. These can provide context for an identifiable installation. They do not prove present asset condition, ownership, availability for sale or authority to represent it.
Reconcile any public identifiers with the equipment in the submission. A facility-level operating history should not be attributed to an individual turbine without establishing the relationship. Likewise, a reported change in operating status does not establish that the equipment has been preserved or prepared for removal.
The strongest sale package connects the asset's own records to a consistent history. Public data can help a buyer understand that history, but cannot replace serial-number-specific inspection and maintenance evidence.
Describe condition precisely#
“Used,” “surplus,” “unused,” “overhauled” and “refurbished” describe different circumstances. None should substitute for an equipment history and a defined work scope.
For an overhaul claim, identify who performed the work, when it occurred, which components were included, what was tested and what warranty applies. For unused equipment, document storage and preservation; absence of operating hours does not establish current readiness.
Solar's authorized pre-owned programme describes inspection, service and warranty elements associated with its offering. A third-party seller should not imply equivalent OEM authorization or warranty without evidence. Describe your actual asset and commercial commitments.
Where additional work may be needed, obtain an appropriately scoped assessment. GE Vernova's aeroderivative service information illustrates the separate role of maintenance and support; it does not establish coverage for a specific resale unit.
Stage document release around the buyer's decision#
Organize the information into three practical groups. The initial summary should allow a buyer to judge broad fit: model, application, electrical configuration, general location, condition, scope and release timing. The diligence package should contain the records needed for technical evaluation. Detailed access and sensitive commercial information can follow the agreed process when the buyer is qualified.
State what is available at each stage and who can authorize access. Avoid advertising a complete data room if key documents are still being requested from the former operator. If a record cannot be shared, explain the restriction and whether another form of verification can be arranged.
Prepare a question log so new answers update the common asset summary. If one buyer discovers that a transformer is excluded or an enhancement system is incomplete, the information should not remain isolated in that conversation while other prospects receive the old description.
Set an asking price with a clear scope#
An asking price is an invitation to negotiate. A completed transaction price is evidence of an actual deal, and it is useful as a comparison only when the equipment, condition, date and included scope are understood.
When reviewing comparable offers, record whether they include the generator, controls, auxiliaries, refurbishment, removal, transport, commissioning or warranty. Distinguish complete generating packages from engines, cores and parts.
Prepare a commercial schedule showing the price for the defined asset and any separately priced services. State currency, validity, taxes and delivery assumptions in the appropriate transaction documents.
Do not promise a valuation range unsupported by comparable evidence. If the evidence is thin, present the asking price with its scope and allow qualified buyer diligence to inform negotiation. The used turbine cost guide shows why scope changes can overwhelm a simple dollars-per-kW comparison.
Qualify the buyer before committing inspection resources#
Ask for the buyer's organization, project role, intended destination, required electrical output, frequency, fuel and target operating date. Establish whether the party is purchasing for its own project or representing another buyer.
Next, identify the decision process: who reviews the technical documents, who can authorize a purchase and what conditions must be satisfied. Financial and identity verification should follow the agreed transaction process without exposing sensitive information unnecessarily.
These questions help both sides avoid spending time on an asset that cannot meet the buyer's requirements. For example, a 50 Hz package and a firm 60 Hz project need a documented compatibility solution before the parties treat the opportunity as a fit.
See the frequency compatibility guide for the equipment questions that arise.
Compare offers by executable terms, not headline price alone#
A seller may receive one higher offer subject to extensive unresolved diligence and another lower offer with a more defined inspection and removal plan. Compare the conditions before deciding which is more actionable. Record what each buyer needs to approve the transaction and whether those requirements can be satisfied.
Use a comparison sheet covering purchase scope, technical conditions, proposed inspections, payment milestones, release timing and removal responsibilities. Leave legal interpretation and enforceability to the transaction's advisers. The commercial task is to make the differences visible before assuming that two price figures describe the same deal.
A buyer asking for a different scope may also change the seller's remaining obligations. Selling an engine separately from a generating package can leave equipment, structures or removal work with the owner. Price that consequence rather than assuming the remainder has an immediate resale value.
Define inspection and removal responsibilities#
Agree how the buyer can inspect the asset, who supervises access, which tests are practical and who pays for them. Record whether equipment is operating, shut down, stored or disassembled, because that changes what can be demonstrated.
Then define what the buyer receives at handover. Identify retained structures, shared systems, disconnection work, labeling, packaging, lifting, transport and preservation responsibilities. Set realistic dates for access and removal.
Commercial documents should address title, any encumbrances, payment conditions, allocation of risk and applicable cross-border requirements with qualified advisers. A listing description alone cannot settle those terms.
Use the relocation scope guide to prepare a removal package that a buyer can actually price.
Prepare a handover record the buyer can use#
At handover, reconcile the agreed equipment schedule with the physical items released. Include loose-shipped components, tools, spares and documentation when they are part of the transaction. Record exclusions and any remaining work explicitly.
Maintain the preservation and custody record through the transition. Identify who is responsible for storage conditions and checks while equipment waits for transport or installation. The fact that a sale has closed does not itself complete the technical handoff.
Provide the latest approved document index and identify missing records. If the buyer later installs or modifies the package, the handover record gives the new operator a clear starting point. It also reduces the chance that an unsupported claim from an early teaser becomes mistaken for a contractual or technical specification.
For a first approach to SecondWatt, the most useful submission is therefore an organized asset opportunity: a confirmed identity, a defined scope, an honest condition description and a clear account of your authority to offer it. Supporting records can then be reviewed against a buyer's actual requirement rather than a generic claim that the turbine is suitable for every power project.
Prepare the first submission#
Send a concise asset summary with the exact model, serial-number references, location, current condition, package scope and expected release date. Include representative dated photographs and an index of the available records.
State your role, the asking price if established and which information remains unresolved. Identify restrictions on sharing photographs, technical documents or the asset's location. Agree the permitted marketing scope before wider circulation.
For family references, sellers can use the LM2500, LM6000, SGT-800, Titan 130 and Titan 250 dossiers. Do not substitute those family specifications for the asset's own documentation.
Frequently Asked Questions#
Can I submit equipment before setting a price?#
You can prepare an asset submission with the commercial position clearly stated. The absence of a price does not remove the need for identity, condition, scope and authority information.
Can a broker submit a turbine owned by someone else?#
State the relationship and provide the relevant authority through the agreed diligence process. Do not describe an introduction as ownership or exclusive representation.
Should I refurbish the turbine before offering it?#
Compare the expected work, cost and time against the likely buyer requirements. An inspection and a defined work proposal may support the decision; cosmetic work alone does not establish technical value.
Does unused equipment automatically command a higher supported value?#
Not by itself. Configuration, completeness, storage, preservation, documentation and buyer fit still matter. Describe unused status accurately and provide the records needed to assess readiness instead of assuming zero operating hours resolves all condition questions.
What should accompany the first asset submission?#
Include the exact identity, general location, condition, scope, release timing and your role in offering it. Add dated photographs and a document index. State what is unknown and any restrictions on sharing further information.
Submit equipment to SecondWatt#
Use SecondWatt's sell-equipment page to introduce a turbine or generating package. Include your role, the exact asset identity, location, condition, release timing and available documentation so the opportunity can be evaluated against a defined scope.