Turkey in nuclear plant talks with Candu, energy minister says

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By Nevzat Devranoglu

SIRNAK, Turkey (Reuters) -Turkey is in talks with Canada’s Candu Energy and other companies regarding plans to build its second and third nuclear power plants, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said.

Speaking to reporters during a visit to southeast Turkey on Monday, Bayraktar said Turkey wants to “put a name” to the projects for its additional planned plants this year.

“Russia, South Korea and China are interested in the second and third power plant. But in addition to these, there are also other countries and companies we are negotiating with,” he said.

“One of them is Canada, for example. The Candu company,” he added.

Candu Energy Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of AtkinsRéalis, is engaged in ongoing discussions with stakeholders around the world about Canadian nuclear technology, said Daniela Pizzuto, a director of external communications at AtkinsRéalis.

“Candu Energy Inc. welcomed the preliminary discussions with the Turkish Minister of Energy and his colleagues. We look forward to increasing our engagement in the coming days and weeks,” Pizzuto said in emailed comments in response to Reuters questions.

Pizzuto said CANDU technology is owned by the Government of Canada and AtkinsRéalis is the exclusive license holder.

Rosatom, Russia’s state nuclear energy company, is building Turkey’s first nuclear power station at Akkuyu in the Mediterranean province of Mersin under a $20 billion accord from 2010.

Turkey plans to build a second nuclear power plant in the Black Sea region of Sinop and a third nuclear plant in the northwestern region of Thrace.

(Reporting by Nevzat Devranoglu; Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Jonathan Spicer, Christian Schmollinger and Andrea Ricci)