18 March 2004 - Twenty-four giant generators with enough capacity to power more than three Bellagio Las Vegas Casinos are being sold by unreserved auction by Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers in Olympia, WA on March 31, 2004. And, whether the new owners plan to light a small town, or provide enough emergency power to light 350 Eiffel Towers, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers guarantees these late-model, low-meter-hour machines will sell to the highest bidder on sale day.

"We sell hundreds of large and small generators every year at over 140 unreserved truck and equipment auctions worldwide," says Karl Werner, Regional Manager Northwest, "but this is a special opportunity. These are the largest, most powerful portable units available."

Who needs this much power? The recent wave of power grid failures in North America and Europe could attract bidders including owners of airports, hospitals and casinos, as well as users needing portable power on remote projects.

The EPA-approved generators have a generating capacity of over 44,000 kW. The 21- 2000 Caterpillar XQ2000 1,825 kW and 3- 2000 Caterpillar XQ2000 2000 kW portable enclosed generator sets are being sold on the second day of the company's two-day unreserved auction.

The generators come from Washington's Chelan County Public Utility District (PUD) who purchased the units in 2001 to provide back-up power during an unusually dry summer and skyrocketing wholesale power rates. The PUD declared the generators surplus in 2003 and chose Ritchie Bros. to sell them.

The Ritchie Bros. unreserved auction process means there are no minimum or reserve prices and that owners are forbidden by contract to bid on or buy back their own equipment. Items sell on sale day to the highest bidder.