VideoEnergy & Economy
Carney pitches Canadian reactor design in Ankara as Turkey weighs Russia, China and Korea
Ottawa is seeking a 60-year energy partnership with Turkey, where a planned nuclear plant is at stake against Russian, Chinese and South Korean rivals.
Summary
Prime Minister Mark Carney is in Ankara for the first dedicated bilateral visit to Turkey by a Canadian prime minister, with Canada's CANDU nuclear reactor at the top of the agenda. Turkey is weighing a planned nuclear plant in Thrace, and the video frames the trip as a bid for a 60-year energy partnership on the Black Sea rather than a simple trade mission.
The relationship has thawed since 2020, when Canada froze certain military exports over technology found in drones used by Azerbaijan. Canada lifted those controls in January 2024, days after Turkey ratified Sweden's NATO entry. In March 2026, Turkey's state nuclear company signed a memorandum with CANDU Energy to assess whether the design could work at its future sites, and Turkey's energy minister said the countries had entered a new era.
Turkey's first plant, Akkuyu, is Russian-owned and expected to supply about 10% of its electricity. Rivals for the next projects include South Korea's KEPCO, China's SPIC and the United States, which signed a civil nuclear memorandum with Turkey in September 2025. The video argues CANDU's edge is fuel: it runs on natural uranium with no enrichment, which Canada produces in northern Saskatchewan. The talks remain a feasibility study, not a reactor contract.
Key points
- Canada-Turkey bilateral trade has grown 50% in five years.
- 31 CANDU reactors operate worldwide, 17 of them in Canada.
- CANDU runs on natural uranium, with no enrichment required.
- Akkuyu (Rosatom) is expected to supply about 10% of Turkey's electricity.
- CANDU lifespan: 30 years, plus 30 more after refurbishment.
- Turkey is a founding member of the Defence, Security and Resilience Bank.
Questions answered
Why does fuel matter in Turkey's nuclear bid?
The video says most reactors use enriched uranium, which requires specialized enrichment plants that only a few countries run at scale. CANDU is designed to run on natural uranium with no enrichment required, which the video presents as Canada's winning card. Canada is also one of the largest uranium producers on Earth.
Who is Canada competing against for Turkey's nuclear business?
The video names Russia's Rosatom, which is building Akkuyu, plus South Korea's KEPCO and China's SPIC. It also points to the United States, which signed a civil nuclear cooperation memorandum with Turkey in September 2025.
Has Turkey signed a deal to buy a Canadian reactor?
No. The visit is not a signed reactor contract. The expected joint declaration would set up a working group to study whether CANDU can bid for a planned plant on Turkey's Black Sea coast, and that work covers feasibility only.
What criticism is following Carney's Turkey visit?
LGBTQ advocacy groups have criticized the trip after Ottawa declined to join European governments in condemning raids on Turkish organizations that advocate for minorities. The video says those questions will follow Carney into the room on Thursday.
Prepared by the CanadaNext Editor with AI assistance from public reporting and CanadaNext's own videos. Sources are linked. How we work