Türkiye accuses Siemens of ‘political’ decision to disrupt nuclear plant construction

Russia’s Rosatom, which is involved in the Akkuyu project, will now look for alternative suppliers in China, Ankara’s energy minister has said

Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar has accused German industrial giant Siemens of intentionally delaying the delivery of equipment for the construction of the $24 billion Akkuyu nuclear power plant. The facility is set to be the first of its kind in Turkey, and is being built by Russia’s Rosatom nuclear energy agency. 

Speaking to the Anadolu news agency, Bayraktar said Türkiye’s first nuclear power reactor is already more than 90% complete. However, Siemens’ delay in delivering equipment has pushed back the project by several months. The minister claimed that the German company’s decision was taken “with a political attitude on an issue that has no legal basis and is not subject to any international sanctions.” 

If Siemens aims to “impose sanctions on Russia, then Türkiye is also seriously affected by this,” Bayraktar added. Ankara has already filed a complaint about the situation “at the highest level,” he stated, insisting that the company should “pay a price” for its behavior. 

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Bayraktar noted that Siemens is “one of the companies we have been working with for many years,” but that it has “now put us in a difficult situation where we have to seriously question their existence.” In light of the situation, Rosatom has started looking for alternative suppliers and has already placed an order for the necessary equipment in China, the minister added.  

Ankara had previously projected the launch date of the Akkuyu nuclear facility for October 29 to coincide with Türkiye’s Republic Day celebrations. However, the authorities have since warned that this date is likely to change due to the delay in equipment deliveries from Germany. 

The Akkuyu NPP is the first nuclear power plant in Türkiye and is set to include four power units with Russian-designed reactors, each capable of producing 1,200 megawatts.