Turkey has resolved the equipment supply issue for its first nuclear power plant, Akkuyu, according to Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar. The minister ruled out any possibility of resuming cooperation with the German company Siemens, which failed to deliver equipment previously ordered for the project.
Bayraktar explained that Siemens had manufactured the equipment ordered by Russia’s Rosatom in 2020, but never delivered it due to the German government’s refusal to approve the export. He criticized Siemens as an unreliable partner for breaching contractual obligations.
“The order for this equipment was placed with Siemens by Rosatom in 2020, and payment was made. Although Siemens completed the production and stored it in their warehouse, delivery was blocked by Germany’s lack of approval. After waiting for 1.5 years, Rosatom canceled the order and instead procured the equipment from China. The equipment has since arrived and is being installed. Revisiting Siemens is not an option—this chapter is closed,” Bayraktar told Yeni Safak.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak also noted that Siemens had failed to fulfill its commitments to Akkuyu, and attempts to resolve the matter through negotiations were unsuccessful. He added that alternative suppliers from allied nations stepped in, and the necessary components have already been delivered and installed.
The Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant is being developed by Russia's Rosatom and will consist of four power units equipped with VVER Generation III+ reactors, each boasting a capacity of 1,200 MW. Under the intergovernmental agreement, the first unit is scheduled to become operational by 2025, seven years after the construction license was granted in 2018.
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Photo: Yovko Lambrev/Creative Commons 3.0
Based on materials from TASS