Russian 'Know-How Was Used' to Upgrade Siemens' Turbines Installed in Crimea

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Wednesday, a source told Sputnik that Council of the European Union's Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper) agreed to expand the list of anti-Russian individual sanctions on the initiative of Berlin. The source noted that the technical work on the relevant acts would follow.

"Technopromexport has not received from Siemens any official proposals on repurchase of the turbines. Due to the company’s bankruptcy, a decision was made to sell the equipment according to a court ruling. Moreover, on Technopromexport’s initiative, Siemens was officially offered to repurchase the turbine plants … but Siemens declined this proposal," a Technopromexport spokesperson told reporters.

The spokesperson added that the turbines had been upgraded in order to prepare them for the required project.

Russia's Technopromexport (TPE) said earlier it purchased turbines for Crimean power plants in the secondary market, with Russian engineering companies modernizing them.

"Russian know-how has been used, additional equipment has been bought. The company sustained transportation losses as well as losses from the installation and certification of equipment," the official added.

Meanwhile, Siemens spokesman Philipp Encz told Sputnik that the proposal of the Siemens company to Russia’s Technopromexport to purchase the turbines which were supplied to Crimea is still on the table.

"A week ago … we spoke of this with certainty, and it remains on the table," Encz said.

Encz specified that the proposal on the repurchase of turbines was addressed to TPE, which had an agreement with Siemens, but declined comment on weather an official request on the purchase was submitted and on the issue of personal relations with clients overall.

In early July, Siemens created a task force team to investigate reports about the alleged transfer of turbines produced by Siemens Gas Turbines Technologies, a joint venture with the Russian Power Machines company, to the Crimean peninsula. On Friday, the company said that all four of its turbines intended for a project in Taman were illegally delivered to Crimea.

Siemens decided to annul a power plant equipment supply license agreement and suspend power equipment supplies to Russian state firms to devise new control measures, while Berlin promised a corresponding response to the violation of the agreements.

On July 11, Russian Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov said that the new power plants in Crimea would be equipped with turbines manufactured in Russia and not with ones imported from the West. Commenting on the situation, Peskov said earlier that all products used in Crimea made in Russia.