In a story first reported by Reuters, the Siemens-made turbines that are currently in a part of Crimea that Russia took over years ago may never be turned on. Russia is unsure how to make the turbines work, and Siemens is not willing to provide help.
On July 11, Siemens announced it would initiate criminal charges against Russia after turbines it sold to Russia were re-routed to Crimea. That would be a violation of a European Union sanction following the Russian take-over. Siemens maintains that it had no idea the gas turbines would be re-routed.
Russia has said it will provide stabilized power to that area of Crimea, although it has never announced a plan. According to Reuters, no Russian company has ever made a Siemens turbine work without the help of Siemens employees. Siemens has already announced it will not help Russia with the installation and has filed a lawsuit against its Russian customer about the re-routing of the turbines, and it will do everything it can to block the installation.
Siemens has also announced that it is reviewing its relationship with Russia, and may break it off altogether. Russia has not admitted to re-routing the Siemens turbines to Crimea. Also, the turbine blades will need to be replaced every three to four years, and no Russian company makes compatible blades.
Meanwhile, on Friday, July 21, Siemens announced that it is cutting off all deliveries to Russian-held companies and reviewing all of its supply deals with Russia. Siemens also announced that it has “credible evidence” that turbines delivered to Russian customers were illegally shipped to Crimea to provide power there. It also maintains that it did not violate European Union sanctions against Russia.
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