Russia has delivered electricity turbines made by Germany's Siemens to Crimea, in spite of the European and international sanctions, 3 sources with knowledge of the delivery told Reuters on July 5, 2017.
EU sanctions bar European individuals and companies from providing energy technology to Crimea, and from taking any actions designed to circumvent those rules.
However, 3 separate sources told Reuters that 2 power plants in Crimea are being built to house Siemens turbines.
The sources, who are all familiar with the technical details of the plants, said they are compatible only with Siemens turbines.
A spokesman for Germany´s Siemens denied the report and said the company complies with all export control restrictions.
The concern said that it respected and did not intend to violate the sanctions regime.
Siemens says its joint venture is only for making turbines for a separate plant on Russia’s Taman peninsula, which is separated from Crimea by a strait, but not for plants inside in Crimea itself.
Russia needs the turbines for 2 Crimean power plants with a total capacity of 940 MW for $ 1.3 bln., to ensure a stable power supply for the region's residents.
Russia's Energy Ministry and Technopromexport, the firm which is building the plants, declined to comment.
Legal experts say there are no court precedents to say whether Siemens could be held responsible if a 3rd party brought the turbines to Crimea.
RBC wrote referring to the source that the turbines were manufactured at the Siemens plant in St. Petersburg jointly with the Siloviye Mashiny, but asserted that they were partially redesigned at Rostekh plants.
«The degree of modernization is so great that the products can no longer bear the name of the manufacturer, this is a different product,» assured the interlocutor, close to the participant in the project.
To read the full story in Russian.
