Energy of Crimea, strange decisions. Siemens turbines were delivered to Crimea despite sanctions
As part of the state program Russian Federation For the development of Crimea and Sevastopol, it is planned to build two thermal power plants. New thermal power plants must fully cover the needs of the entire peninsula and ensure energy independence.
To implement the project, 8 turbines with a total capacity of 470 MW are required. Gas turbines were selected at the project development stage. However, taking into account the restrictions imposed by Western countries, it was not possible to agree on supply.
An alternative option was to place many small stations throughout the peninsula, but this idea was abandoned in favor of the first project.
At the beginning of 2017, negotiations were held with Iran on the supply of equipment to Mapna, which operates under a Siemens license. There is no information about why the deal fell through, but it is likely that the Iranian side did not want to enter into conflict with the Germans.
Opinion of the Russian authorities
According to the official statement of the Rostec state corporation, the turbines were purchased on the secondary market. It was they, after modernization to meet the requirements of the project, that were delivered to the peninsula.
In the early stages of the growing scandal, the official Kremlin refused to comment. Later, presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that domestically produced turbines were located in Crimea.
These words were confirmed by the Minister of Industry and Trade, but added that they would be used in conjunction with imported parts. No details are provided.
It is likely that we are talking about the Interavtomatika company, for which Siemens has a monitoring package. In this case, the Russian company can have any documentation for the turbines and carry out the modernization without any problems.
Anonymous sources cited by the media claim that the processing is so deep that the product cannot be fully considered German.
Opinion of the Ukrainian authorities
Ukrainian officials remain silent. Ukrainian media, on the contrary, are actively discussing the current situation. Everyone, without any investigations or reliable data, is sure that Siemens turbines are located in Crimea.
This is beyond doubt; the only difference is in the depth of the guilt of the German company. Some representatives of the press are confident that the Russian Federation simply deceived the German side. Others claim that the head of the company entered into a conspiracy with the Russian side.
Siemens spokesman Wolfram Trost denies all accusations, assuring that there was no violation of the sanctions regime. The company clearly understands what this story could mean.
In 2011, Siemens and Russian company OJSC Power Machines created the joint venture Siemens Gas Turbine Technologies (STGT). Based on information that appeared on the Internet, an internal investigation of the incident was organized, which resulted in a lawsuit against the Technopromexport company.
The STGT company was involved as one of the parties participating in previously concluded contracts. The Germans believe that the defendant company violated contractual obligations regarding export restrictions.
In the video - turbines for thermal power plants in Crimea:
What turbines were delivered to Crimea
Presumably, SGT5-2000E turbines, which are produced by STGT, are located in Crimea. According to the Germans, Technopromexport purchased these turbines for a facility on Taman Island. However, the project was not continued and the purchased turbines were sent to Crimea. The court adjourned the case on August 21.
Sevastopol Thermal Power Plant
From the very beginning, Technopromexport had problems with its German partners. For a long time turbines already purchased were not delivered due to fears of sanctions violations. Then the Russian company itself fell out of favor with Europe and put up for sale only the equipment it had received. In this regard, Technopromexport was unable to continue to participate in the construction of thermal power plants in Taman.
Back in 2015, it was reported that STGT would supply turbines to Crimea. In 2016, Reuters first announced that the turbines would be redirected.
Ukraine investigation
Ukrainian activists from the project “Maidan of Foreign Rights” tracked the path along which the sanctioned equipment got to Crimea. In their opinion, the movement began from the port of Kavkaz, where the tugboat Shkval accepted a barge for transporting heavy cargo. Then the tug headed for Feodosia, then, under the cover of darkness, the turbines were transported to Sevastopol.
Who will serve
In light of the resonance that arose, Siemens announced that they would seek the return of equipment to mainland Russia. Otherwise, the Germans refuse service obligations.
Russian experts claim that in this case big problems should not arise. The equipment is known to Russian specialists; it has been previously installed and successfully maintained. In addition, if a deep modernization was carried out with the involvement of the Interavtomatika company, then it is possible to ensure normal functioning in the same ways.
One of the most scandalous stories 2017 - the dispute over the supply of turbines for those being built in Crimea - continued the day before.
“The main blocks are already on the foundations”
The Moscow Arbitration Court rejected Siemens' claim against the structures of the Rostec corporation (OJSC and Technopromexport LLC) for the return gas turbines, delivered to Crimea allegedly bypassing EU sanctions.
The court also rejected Technopromexport’s counterclaim to invalidate clauses in the contract with Siemens that prohibited the supply of turbines to Crimea in circumvention of EU sanctions.
Simultaneously Deputy Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation Andrey Tcherezov announced that the installation of two turbines has already been completed at two facilities under construction in Crimea.
“The first two turbines at the Sevastopol and Simferopol thermal power plants have already been installed, and alignment measures are being carried out before launch. The installation of the other two turbines ends in December, the main units are already on the foundations,” Rossiyskaya Gazeta quotes the official as saying.
As Tcherezov stated, the commissioning of the first and second stages of the Sevastopol and Simferopol thermal power plants is planned for May-June 2018.
“There are no delays in construction, but there are issues related to the supply infrastructure in the Republic of Crimea - the gas pipeline and the distribution scheme. We have questions for Chernomorneftegaz and Krymenergo, we will discuss this at a meeting today,” the deputy minister said during his working trip to Sevastopol.
Energy battle for Crimea
Since 2014, when Crimea and Sevastopol joined Russia, there has been a need to implement a number of large-scale infrastructure projects, the most famous of which is the Crimean Bridge.
At the same time, the construction of the Tavrida federal highway and reconstruction are underway railways, which with the introduction of the railway bridge to Crimea will become a full part of the all-Russian railway network, and the construction of a new air terminal complex at Simferopol airport, and much more.
But one of the most important problems was to ensure the energy security of Crimea.
During the period of the Soviet Union, the energy supply to the peninsula was established through stations located on the territory of Ukraine. After the annexation of Crimea to Russia, Kyiv tried to use this circumstance as a way to put pressure on the Crimeans. In November 2015, after representatives of Ukrainian radical groups blew up power line supports, electricity supplies to the peninsula from Ukraine were stopped. Crimea found itself under an energy blockade.
Kyiv politicians proceeded from the fact that Russia would not be able to quickly resolve the issue of energy supply to Crimea, and the population of the peninsula would face many months of darkness. The resources of those stations operating in Crimea were not enough to independently provide electricity.
However, since the spring of 2014, Russia has been working on the construction of an energy bridge from Krasnodar region to Crimea, which was supposed to replace Ukrainian energy supplies with Russian ones. At the same time, work was underway on the construction of new power lines and substations.
December 2, 2015 Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the first line of the energy bridge from Taman to Crimea in test mode. The second line of the energy bridge was put into operation on December 15.
On full power The energy bridge became operational on May 11, 2016. On May 18, 2016 in the Republic of Crimea, and on May 25 in Sevastopol, the state of emergency was lifted.
Sevastopol and Simferopol thermal power plants
As part of the federal target program “Socio-economic development of the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol until 2020,” the construction of two thermal power plants with a capacity of 470 megawatts each was provided.
Their commissioning will make it possible to increase Crimea’s own generation and completely remove all issues regarding the energy supply of both the population and industrial enterprises of the peninsula.
Thermal power plants will operate on natural gas, supplies of which will be carried out via the already laid Kuban-Crimea gas pipeline.
The decision to build the Simferopol and Sevastopol thermal power plants was made in 2014. Work on the areas allocated for construction began in 2015.
The designs of both stations correspond last word technology. Environmental issues are taken into account, as well as water shortages in Crimea. The stations are capable of withstanding an earthquake with a power of 8.0 points, and also survive in autonomous mode in emergency reserve diesel fuel cessation of gas supplies.
Autumn 2016 Member of the State Duma Committee on Energy Mikhail Sheremet stated that the first two power units of the Sevastopol and Simferopol thermal power plants will be commissioned by early December 2017. In March 2018, according to Sheremet, the second power units of the stations should also come into operation.
If turbines are needed, they will be
However, it soon became clear that problems had arisen. The “heart” of thermal power plants is turbines, and the situation with their supply is unclear.
The project involved the use of SGT5−2000E turbines manufactured by Siemens and its subsidiaries.
However, supplies of such equipment to Crimea were subject to EU sanctions.
In December 2016, Rostec General Director Sergei Chemezov said that the commissioning of thermal power plants in Crimea was postponed for six months. “Our plan is for the end of 2017, but it is clear that we are no longer on time, so I think we will complete construction by mid-2018,” TASS quoted Chemezov as saying, who directly stated that the problem is in the supply of turbines for power units.
It seemed like the situation was deadlocked. But on June 30, 2017, a video appeared on YouTube in which a user captured the cargo arriving at Kamyshovaya Bay in Sevastopol. By all indications, these were two turbines and related equipment for the Sevastopol Thermal Power Plant. Information about the supply of turbines bypassing EU sanctions was distributed by Reuters.
Siemens was accused of deliberately violating the sanctions regime, but the company categorically denied everything. Then its representatives announced that they had become a victim of deception. Allegedly, a subsidiary of the Rostec concern, Technopromexport, signed with Siemens contract o supply of turbines and a complete set of equipment for two thermal power plants in Taman.
But instead of Taman, the turbines ended up in Crimea. Siemens went to court, demanding the return of the turbines and termination of the contract.
Technopromexport objected - the turbines delivered to Crimea were purchased on the secondary market and modified by Russian specialists.
Sanctions are sanctions, and construction is construction
On August 4, offended by the best of feelings, representatives of the European Union imposed sanctions against the companies Technopromexport and Interavtomatika, associated with the supply of turbines to Crimea, and also added Deputy Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation Andrei Tcherezov to their sanctions lists , head of the Department of the Ministry of Energy Evgeniy Grabchak and General Director of Technopromexport Sergei Topor-Gilka. In December, it became known that Technopromexport would try to challenge the imposed sanctions in the European Court of Justice.
Today we can clearly talk about one thing - like construction Crimean bridge, the construction of the Sevastopol and Simferopol thermal power plants will be completed, despite EU sanctions, Kyiv’s hysteria and the irritation of the State Department.
Let us recall that in Crimea, within the framework of the federal target program “Socio-economic development of the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol until 2020,” two new thermal power plants (thermal power plants) are being built in Sevastopol and Simferopol, with a capacity of 470 MW each. Initially, the commissioning of the first power units of the thermal power plant was planned for September 2017, the second units for 2018. The efficiency of the new power plants will reach 52%, which is significantly higher than at the Saki or Kamysh-Burun power plants, the efficiency of which does not exceed 35%.
New power plants in Crimea should ensure additional energy security for Crimea after the Ukrainian terrorist attacks, when power lines were blown up in the south of the Kherson region in November 2015 (at that moment hospitals, maternity hospitals, kindergartens, schools, residential areas and enterprises of the peninsula were left without electricity in Crimea, which employ hundreds of thousands of Crimeans). And although it quickly supplies electricity from Kuban to Crimea, Crimea needs additional power like air!
As of the summer of 2017, the construction of new Crimean thermal power plants is proceeding according to plan. More than half of the construction has already been completed: new power lines have been installed, gas pipelines have been built, and the issue of water supply to power plants has been practically resolved.
The main buildings of the thermal power plant are ready - all that remains is the installation of gas turbines.
In the interests of building power plants, more than 30 trucks with construction materials and equipment for new Crimean thermal power plants arrive every day from the mainland through the Kerch crossing. Several dozen enterprises throughout Russia are working to ensure that this construction is completed on time!
Majority building materials and equipment are domestic, everything strictly complies with GOSTs and modern requirements to objects of this level of importance! Equipment, boilers, pumps, Geller cooling towers (to save water consumption) are supplied from Voronezh, Moscow, Belgorod, Podolsk, Krasnoyarsk and other cities of the country.
The main threat of not being able to put new thermal power plants into operation by the originally set deadline was the supply of gas turbines. The German company Siemens, which supplies gas turbines for such thermal power plants, did not take risks for fear of falling under sanctions. Siemens simply refused to supply turbines that had already been paid for and manufactured, even for the construction of thermal power plants in the Krasnodar Territory, suspecting that the equipment would be used in Crimea.
After Siemens refused to supply turbines, alternative solution The issue with the supply of turbines for the Crimean new thermal power plants was found through an agreement between the Rostec corporation and the Iranian company Mapna, which produces German gas turbines under a license from Siemens. Thus, gas turbines produced in Iran according to the drawings of the German Siemens could be installed at new power plants in Crimea.
The Iranian holding Mapna produces under license several types of Siemens gas turbines (including different modifications). The Iranians are no strangers to experience; according to some data, since 2011 they have already produced several Siemens V94.2 turbines (SGT5-2000E) with a capacity of 160 MW. But at the last moment, the Iranian side refused to supply the equipment, apparently for fear of losing Siemens' license.
According to information from Crimean journalists and statements by representatives of the state corporation Rostec, the latter seriously intends to complete the construction of thermal power plants in Crimea in 2017, since gas turbines have already been delivered to the peninsula by sea and are awaiting installation at new power plants.
According to some data, two SGT5-2000E gas turbines have already been delivered to Crimea, manufactured by Siemens Gas Turbine Technologies LLC (STGT), a joint venture of Siemens AG (65%) and Power Machines OJSC (35%), which was founded in St. Petersburg in 2011. Localization of the production of these turbines by the STGT enterprise is more than 50%; this industrial gas turbine is the main product produced by the Russian-German joint venture in Leningrad region. Gas turbines SGT5-2000E have been successfully operated in different regions of Russia for several years, and will now serve in Crimea!
Especially for Crimea.Realities
Russia is looking for workarounds to supply turbines from the German company Siemens to Crimea for thermal power plants being built in Simferopol and Sevastopol. Why does a giant gas production country exploring space not have enterprises and technologies for the production of such equipment?
Russia is building two power plants with a total capacity of 940 megawatts in Crimea, which should strengthen the energy independence of the peninsula, which is already connected to the Russian mainland by an energy bridge. The first stage of stations should be commissioned at the end of 2017, the second - in 2018. Thus, it is planned to install 8 turbines with a total capacity of 470 MW at the Simferopol Thermal Power Plant, and the same number in Sevastopol.
Powerful gas turbines are not made in the Russian Federation, and the supply of Western equipment to Crimea is prohibited by sanctions
Thermal power plants under construction in Crimea should close the energy shortage in the region. The total generation capacity on the peninsula is 920.3 MW, at its peak it requires up to 1.43 GW. Part of the demand is covered by the energy bridge across the Kerch Strait (800 MW) and transported from Far East Russian mobile gas turbine power plants. But powerful gas turbines are not made in the Russian Federation, and the supply of Western equipment to Crimea is prohibited by sanctions.
Rostec CEO on failure to meet construction deadlines Sergey Chemezov first reported back in December 2016. In April 2017, the head of the Russian Ministry of Energy Alexander Novak said that the construction of the Simferopol and Sevastopol thermal power plants will be completed a little later than originally planned due to a disruption in the supply of equipment to one of the Western companies.
“The work is ongoing, it has not been stopped, despite the problems with the supply of equipment by a Western company, the work continues and work is underway to purchase other equipment. Yes, there will be a slight shift in timing,” he said.
Novak added that the department plans to compensate for the delay due to the construction of generation low power, which will be built on the basis of the Saki Thermal Power Plant, and the relocation of three gas turbine power plants to Crimea. “In order to compensate for this shift, we came up with the initiative to build an additional small generation of our own with a small capacity of 120 MW based on the Saki Thermal Power Plant and based on the use of Russian equipment from the United Engine Corporation. In addition, we are relocating three more gas turbine power plants to Crimea, the total additional capacity of which will be about 70 MW. Thus, this is 200 MW of additional generation,” Novak said and emphasized that at at the moment There is enough electricity to meet the needs of Crimea, including during peak load periods.
Russian media reported that Rostec had found turbines for Crimea in Iran. It turned out that these are products of Mapna, which operates under a license from Siemens
The other day, Russian media reported that Rostec had found turbines for Crimea in Iran. But, upon closer examination, it turned out that these are products of the Mapna company, which operates under a license from Siemens and according to German drawings. Just over a year ago the German industrial group Siemens has signed an energy agreement with Iranian energy and infrastructure company Mapna Group, giving it the opportunity to re-enter Iran as soon as sanctions against the country are lifted.
Iran needs such cooperation - new power plants are being built in the country, in the construction of which Russia is also taking part. But will the latter be able to deliver necessary equipment to Crimea through third countries is a big question. These are not Turkish apricots, which are now brought to the peninsula under the guise of “fruit from Azerbaijan.” And given the tough position of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the issue of anti-Russian sanctions for the annexation of Crimea, there is no doubt that the management of Siemens will show similar harshness towards its Iranian partners.
Build turbines - not fly into space
“Building turbines is not like flying into space on Ukrainian engines,” they sneer about the “turbine failure” on social networks.
Soviet Union tried to “catch up and surpass” the West in all sectors, but in the end suffered a crushing defeat
Why did it turn out that the heiress of the former superpower - the USSR - today is not able to produce powerful turbines for thermal power plants or a cable for the energy bridge across the Kerch Strait? About microprocessors, mobile phones, TVs and other items household appliances don't even need to mention it. As I said Kozma Prutkov, “it is impossible to embrace the immensity.” It is precisely in order to meet the growing needs of states in a rapidly changing technological world that international division labor. The Soviet Union, fenced off from the rest of the world with the “Iron Curtain,” tried to “catch up and overtake” the West in all sectors, but in the end suffered a crushing defeat, achieving worldwide success only in space exploration and weapons production.
Russia, finding itself in the ruins of the USSR, adopted civilized rules of the game, including in the energy industry.
Today, the only plant in Russia that produces the necessary turbines is a joint venture between the German Siemens and the Russian Power Machines, in which the German shareholder is 65%. It is known that the German company is a recognized leader in the production of turbines high power. The joint venture has existed since 2011, and the plant for the production and service of gas turbines was commissioned in 2015.
In 2014, Russia violated civilized rules and, as a result, found itself under sanctions from a number of leading Western countries. Sanctions are currently applied sectorally. One can imagine the catastrophic consequences that would result, for example, from a ban on the supply of equipment for gas production - almost all of it is imported. And a new “Iron Curtain”, only from the West, would inevitably lead to the collapse of Russia as a state.
After the announcement of sanctions, we received a systemic problem, it affects many areas of production and mechanical engineering
Ivan Andrievsky
The Kremlin leaders do not want to play by the rules, but economics is not politics, where they play with words and troops. Without electricity in modern world you won’t survive, and the “annexed Crimea” is no exception. Import substitution is also unlikely to help - there are too many “holes” in the economy that will have to be plugged, because working with foreign companies, Russia did not strive to develop own technologies. “As a result, after the announcement of sanctions, we got a systemic problem, it concerns many areas of production and mechanical engineering. Since you need to either be fully integrated into world economy, or, if we make an application for an independent foreign policy position on a number of geopolitical issues, actively develop own production, become independent,” points out the first vice-president of the Russian Union of Engineers Ivan Andrievsky.
In the meantime, Russia is following the path of the USSR, fencing itself off from the rest of the world in favor of the insane policies of its current leaders.
Andrey Pokrovsky, Crimean (the author's first and last name have been changed for security reasons)
The views expressed in the “Opinion” column convey the point of view of the authors themselves and do not always reflect the position of the editors
Let's look at the news about the supply of turbines for Crimean thermal power plants from Iran.
The Rostec state corporation will purchase turbines for two Crimean thermal power plants under construction in Iran. This was reported by RIA Novosti with reference to the head of Rostec Sergei Chemezov.
“We are at the final stage of negotiations with Iran. And we expect that by the end of the year, if the Americans and Europeans do not come up with any new sanctions, we will install these turbines,” Chemezov reported.
Earlier it was reported that Rostec is experiencing problems with the supply of turbines for power plants. Later it became known that the turbines would be built by the United Engine Corporation, part of Rostec.
I have repeatedly written about the problems with equipping power plants in Crimea with turbines from Germany.
They tried to circumvent the sanctions and designate the place of supply of turbines in Taman, however, after a long confrontation in Germany, all deliveries of such strategically important equipment were under close control. The same Merkel hesitantly offered to wait for delivery, but Siemens, losing the contract, wanted to ship the turbines.
The situation was frozen until Trump, who unexpectedly won the election, took office. There was hope for both a split in Europe and a split along the lines of self-isolation from NATO and the EU. It was precisely this split that our politicians and businesses were going to take advantage of to deliver turbines that were needed like air for the sanctioned Crimea.
Back in June 2015, Siemens was going to supply turbines bypassing sanctions through its joint venture in Russia. Moreover, Siemens is pushing the fact that they have already manufactured turbines, with the assistance of the same Schroeder and his assurance that everything will be ok.
Some of the equipment and turbine piping were shipped to Rostec and delivered to Krasnodar back in 2015 before the noise was raised.
At the same time, there is a separate body under the German Ministry of Economics that monitors the sale of sanctioned equipment to countries and regions under sanctions.
Here we are talking about turbines that were created by Siemens Gas Turbine Technology - joint venture Siemens and Power Machines. Crimean power plants are “compatible only with Siemens turbines“, noted experts familiar with the technical details.
The Siemens representative also noted that the German company has “contractual terms with Technopromexport, which has confirmed several times in response to our request that the final delivery point clause in the contract will be fully respected.”
However, the danger of being included in the sanctions list for Siemens already under Trump became the last argument; Trump did not reset relations with either allies or opponents, which became clear just the other day, after meetings in Munich, where Lavrov and the head of the American delegation did not even meet .
Thus, we are seeing either a scheme for Siemens to sell turbines to Iran, which has now been removed from sanctions, or it is simply a fake.
As I wrote above, turbines simply need to be DELIVERED. and they will do this obviously through a series of gaskets, and ship them to Iran, from where they will be transported to Crimea. After all, then it will be complete set for equipping turbine halls of thermal power plants.
There remains a maintenance problem, but this is nothing compared to this successful operation to electrify Crimea so far. And this is, of course, a humiliating kick to both the European bureaucrats and the United States.
It should be recalled that throughout 2015-2016, officials confidently said that Siemens would supply turbines, and buildings for new thermal power plants were already being built. People knew what they were saying.
How will this all end now? Iran does not have the technology to produce such complex equipment, Russia, with much greater capabilities and the absence of sanctions, has not been able to produce them for 30 years, and in my opinion it is strange to expect turbines to come to us from Isfahan. So the guys from the SVR are great. Previously, nylon was purchased this way for rockets, but now the necessary turbines will be delivered.
Business As Usual
