Carney: Candu has ‘good chances’ in Turkish nuclear bid

Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday that a Canadian company has a real chance of winning a lucrative tender to supply nuclear energy to Turkey, a prospect he said looked remote a year ago.

Carney made the comments in Istanbul while meeting Turkish business leaders, a day after he announced a new strategic partnership with Turkey that includes talks toward a free trade deal. Energy is one of the pillars of that agreement.

He said the AtkinsRéalis bid to supply two planned Turkish power plants with the Candu reactor now has “good chances” of succeeding.

“We’re in negotiations, and those negotiations are getting more intense,” Carney told reporters in French. He said a decision by the Turkish government is likely from now to the end of the year, or around COP31, the United Nations climate conference set for Antalya, Turkey, from Nov. 9 to 20.

“Candu has a chance,” Carney said. “Yes, there’s competition. But we have the quality of the technology, of the financing, and a true partnership with business in this country with Canada.”

AtkinsRéalis president and CEO Ian Edwards confirmed in a LinkedIn post Friday that he is also in Turkey this week. He thanked Carney and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson, who is on the trip, for their support. Edwards said the company is conducting a feasibility study for a possible build-out of Candu reactors at Sinop, a Black Sea city proposed as the site of a new plant.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand welcomed her Turkish counterpart to Canada in June, when Turkish officials toured the Darlington nuclear facility in Ontario. Canada’s nuclear strategy, released a week earlier, aims to sell more Candu reactors abroad and to enter at least four new international markets by 2040. It also seeks to engage six to 10 new nuclear entrant markets over 15 years.

Carney said contract decisions are made business to business, and his role is to explain how Canada has become more welcoming to foreign firms and investors. He pointed to tax changes and faster investment decisions.

For Canadians, a win would matter beyond one contract. Candu reactors are built and serviced by a supply chain centred in Ontario, and the federal strategy treats nuclear exports as a way to build Canada’s reputation as a reliable energy and uranium partner. Our coverage of Ontario’s winter power supply shows how tight electricity supply remains at home.

The Canadian Press reported the comments. AtkinsRéalis trades on the TSX as ATRL. This is not investment advice.

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