Candu attitude: Carney pegs ‘good chances’ on Canadian bid for Turkey nuclear plant

ISTANBUL — Prime Minister Mark Carney says a Canadian company’s bid to supply nuclear energy to Turkey has a real shot of winning the lucrative tender.

But he says he probably wouldn’t have been singing the same tune a year ago.

Carney is meeting with Turkish business leaders in Istanbul today, a day after he announced a new strategic partnership between Canada and Turkey to deepen co-operation on a range of files.

Energy is one of the pillars of that agreement, and he says the AtkinsRéalis bid to supply two planned Turkish power plants with the Candu nuclear reactor now has “good chances” of succeeding.

Carney says there’s a compelling case to be made for the made-in-Canada nuclear technology and prospective partnerships with Turkish construction companies.

The prime minister says contract decisions are ultimately made business to business, but his role in Istanbul is to share how the Canadian market has evolved to be more welcoming to foreign firms and investors.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2026.

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Craig Lord, The Canadian Press