Illegal refrigerant auctioned for a knockdown price

NETHERLANDS: The 40 tonnes of illegal refrigerant seized by Dutch customs earlier this year has been auctioned online for the knockdown price of €166,000.

The refrigerant was auctioned on behalf of the Dutch Ministry of Finance in three different lots of R410A, R407C and R134a. The shipment, en route from Turkey, was seized on the German border in March. The 3,500 cylinders lacked the correct permits and quotas.

The auction, which was open for two weeks, saw a hectic bidding war in the last few minutes before it closed yesterday. Despite the late activity, the R410A sold for the equivalent of just €3.6/kg, with the R134a selling for just over €4.0/kg and the R407C doing slightly better at around €8.2/kg.

Most of the bids were by individuals or companies obscuring their identities behind user names but there appeared to be distinct interest from Romania. 

The identity of the winning bidders have not been revealed. However, they will have to fulfil the requirements of the European F-gas regulation 2024/573. This requires the buyer to have a registration and sufficient quota in the EU F-gas portal. In addition, the buyer must submit evidence showing that it will comply with regulations regarding cylinder returns for refilling. 

With a starting price of €25,000, the 1,000 10kg cylinders of R410A sold for €36,000, while the 2,250 12kg cylinders of R134a had a starting bid of €65,000 and sold for €110,000. The smallest lot – 250 10kg cylinders of R407C – nearly quadrupled its opening price of €5,500, selling for €20,560.

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