We can set the turbines going without Siemens’s help: expert

We can set the turbines going without Siemens’s help, senior expert at the National Energy Security Fund Stanislav Mitrakhovich said, when asked by EADaily to comment on the delivery of Siemens turbines to Crimea.

“Russia and its partners have enough competences for turning the turbines on. This is just a matter of time,” Mitrakhovich said.

A few days ago, Reuters quoted its sources as saying that Russia will struggle to turn on the Siemens turbines as “no Russian company has ever got a Siemens turbine working without the help of the manufacturer.”

“Only Rostec knows if those responsible for turning the turbines on can do it or not. But there are all grounds for us to believe that they can. First, our specialists may continue their contacts with Siemens and its partners on an informal basis. We must respect Siemens’s decision to deny any charges by sanction advocates. But in reality that company may turn a blind eye on an attempt by specialists from third states and companies to help us to switch on its turbines in Crimea,” Mitrakhovich said.

Besides, according to the expert, Russia has enough expertise in turbine building. “There are also many other countries that have such competences and among them there are countries that do not support the anti-Russian sanctions,” Mitrakhovich said.

In early July, mass media reported a delivery of Siemens turbines to Crimea in violation of the EU’s sanctions. Siemens said that it had nothing to do with the delivery and that it was not going to maintain the turbines. The contractor of the TPP project in Crimea, Rosteс’s subsidiary, Technopromexport, said that it had bought the turbines on the aftermarket, while Russian officials said that the turbines had been made in Russia. As a result, Siemens has sued Technopromexport. Some mass media say that the incident may force the company to reconsider its participation in some joint projects in Russia.