Russian state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom is set to take legal action against Siemens Energy for a refusal to deliver prepaid equipment vital to the construction of Turkey’s first nuclear power plant (NPP).

The German company “demonstratively declined to provide equipment that has already been manufactured and paid for”, Rosatom general manager Aleksey Likhachev said in an interview with Rossiya 24.

In September, bne IntelliNews reported how the situation with the undelivered parts for Akkuyu NPP was embarrassing for Rosatom, given that the corporation is seeking to hugely ramp up its nuclear work on foreign markets on the basis that it is more than capable of constructing nuclear plants whatever the situation with Ukraine-war related sanctions imposed on the Kremlin by the West.

The construction of Akkuyu NPP was already substantially behind schedule even before the emergence of the Siemens supply difficulties. The failure to launch the plant in good time is also an awkward matter for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He originally wanted the first reactor of the 4,800-MW plant to go online in time for the celebration of the 2023 centennial of the establishment of the Republic of Turkey.

With Berlin declining to budge on the Siemens components non-delivery, Rosatom turned to China to secure the required equipment.

Siemens Energy has provided no official reason for withholding the parts, but Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar has said Turkey understands it could be related to war sanctions on Russia.

In his interview, Likhachev added: “Lawsuits will be filed. The non-delivery of pre-paid equipment has not only delayed progress but also incurred extra costs for procurement and installation.”

Bayraktar on January 6 was reported by Daily Sabah as saying that Germany took a political decision over the components for the NPP located near the Mediterranean port city of Mersin “on an issue that is not subject to any international sanctions, financing or legal problems”.

“Over 90% of the first reactor’s construction is complete, but Siemens’ failed to supply equipment and parts used in the substation that transmits electricity. The company must face consequences”, he added.

On January 10, Nuclear Engineering International reported that Akkuyu NPP was expected to become partly operational this year.

The plant will feature four Russian-designed VVER-1200 reactors.

It is expected to meet 10% of Turkey’s electricity demand.

The Turkish government plans to build at least two more NPPs by 2050, one in the Thrace region in Turkish Europe and the other in the Black Sea province of Sinop.

It is also working towards the realisation of several small modular reactors (SMRs) with a combined capacity of 5,000MW.