Siemens Says Canada Sanctions Concern Nord Stream Turbine Exports, Not Maintenance

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – Canada’s announcement about revoking the sanctions waiver on Nord Stream 1 turbines is about their exports, not their maintenance, a Siemens spokesperson told Sputnik.

"As far as I understand it is not about allowing maintenance, it´s about exporting the turbines," the spokesperson said.

There are currently no turbines at a Siemens maintenance facility in Montreal, the spokesperson added.

On Wednesday, Canada’s Minister Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly and Minister of Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson announced that Ottawa was lifting the sanctions waiver that was granted to allow turbines being repaired at the facility in Montreal to be returned to Germany.

Gazprom sent its turbines from the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to the Siemens facility in Montreal for maintenance before the start of the special military operation in Ukraine in February. The turbines were stranded for many months due to the sanctions imposed by Ottawa against Moscow. However, in July, the Canadian government provided an exemption to Siemens to repair all the remaining turbines and return them to Germany.