TÜRKIYE AND CANADA SIGN CANDU REACTOR DEAL

The Türkiye Nuclear Energy Company (hereinafter: TENMAK) and Canadian engineering firm AtkinsRealis signed a formal agreement on 12 November 2026 to assess CANDU reactor technology for a potential new nuclear power plant in Türkiye. The signing took place on the sidelines of the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (hereinafter: COP31), hosted in Antalya (Yeni Şafak). Under the agreement, the two parties will conduct feasibility and engineering studies intended to support future investment decisions on the construction of a new nuclear facility. The deal marks a concrete step in a broader bilateral relationship between Türkiye and Canada that has expanded significantly over the preceding months.

CANDU Reactor Assessment: Scope And Technical Framework

The CANDU reactor is a pressurised heavy-water reactor design developed in Canada, distinguished by its use of natural uranium fuel and its capacity to be refuelled without shutting down the reactor. AtkinsRealis, formerly known as SNC-Lavalin, holds the intellectual property and engineering expertise for the CANDU line and has been involved in reactor projects across Asia and Europe. The agreement signed with TENMAK will initiate a structured assessment phase, covering feasibility analysis and preliminary engineering work, before any investment commitment is made (CEE Energy News). This phased approach is standard practice in nuclear procurement, allowing both the host state and the technology provider to evaluate technical compatibility, regulatory requirements and financing structures prior to binding contractual obligations.

TENMAK is the state body responsible for Türkiye's nuclear energy research, development and project management. Türkiye currently has one nuclear power plant under construction, the Akkuyu facility in Mersin province, being built by Russia's Rosatom, and has long sought to diversify its nuclear technology partnerships. A second plant based on CANDU technology would represent a distinct supply-chain and fuel-cycle arrangement, reducing dependence on any single foreign technology provider. The feasibility studies to be conducted under the new agreement will determine whether site conditions, grid integration requirements and economic parameters support a final investment decision (CEE Energy News).

COP31 Antalya: Context Of The Signing

COP31 is being held in Antalya in November 2026, with Türkiye serving as the host state. The conference has provided a diplomatic platform for a range of bilateral and multilateral agreements touching on energy transition, climate finance and low-carbon technology. Nuclear energy has featured prominently in COP discussions in recent years, with a growing number of states presenting reactor programmes as part of their long-term decarbonisation strategies. The TENMAK–AtkinsRealis signing fits within that framing, as both Türkiye and Canada have positioned nuclear power as a component of their respective energy and climate commitments.

Türkiye–Canada Partnership: Broader Bilateral Momentum

The nuclear agreement is one of several cooperation instruments concluded between Türkiye and Canada in recent months. In October 2026, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney visited Ankara in what his office described as a historic visit, during which he and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan launched what was characterised as a strong and resilient Canada–Türkiye partnership (Canadian Prime Minister's Office). That visit produced a strategic partnership framework covering trade, defence industry cooperation and technology. The nuclear energy assessment agreement signed at COP31 follows directly from the commitments made during Carney's Ankara visit and represents one of the first concrete deliverables under the new bilateral framework.

Türkiye and Canada also signed three separate cooperation agreements in the period surrounding the October summit, spanning areas including trade facilitation and industrial collaboration (Iletisim/IRNA). Analysts tracking the bilateral relationship have noted that Türkiye's strategic positioning — as a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (hereinafter: NATO) member with active partnerships across multiple geopolitical blocs — makes it an attractive partner for Canada's efforts to diversify its own international economic relationships (Al Jazeera). The nuclear technology dimension adds a high-value industrial component to what had previously been a relationship centred primarily on trade in goods and diplomatic coordination within NATO.

Nuclear Diversification As A Policy Objective

Türkiye's pursuit of multiple nuclear technology partnerships reflects a stated policy of diversifying its energy supply base. Beyond Akkuyu, Türkiye has held discussions with South Korean, Japanese and Chinese reactor vendors at various stages over the past decade. The CANDU assessment agreement with AtkinsRealis introduces a Canadian technology option into that mix. CANDU reactors have an operational track record in Canada, South Korea, Romania, India, China and Argentina, providing a reference base that TENMAK's engineering teams can draw upon during the feasibility phase. The outcome of the studies will determine whether the technology is advanced to a site selection and licensing stage under Türkiye's nuclear regulatory framework.

Next Steps And Decision Points

The agreement signed on 12 November 2026 initiates a study phase rather than committing either party to construction. The feasibility and engineering work will need to address several substantive questions: site identification and geological suitability, connection to Türkiye's national electricity grid, regulatory licensing under the Turkish Atomic Energy Authority, and the financing structure for a project of this scale. CANDU reactors have historically been financed through a combination of export credit arrangements and host-state investment, and Canada's export credit agency has supported previous CANDU projects abroad. Whether a similar financing model would apply to a Türkiye project will be among the questions examined during the study period. The timeline for completing the feasibility phase has not been publicly specified in the available sources, meaning the path from assessment to any investment decision remains open-ended at this stage.