Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar visited Romania on Wednesday to inspect a nuclear power plant using Canada's CANDU reactor technology as Türkiye evaluates options for its planned third nuclear power station.

According to a statement from the Energy Ministry, Bayraktar toured Romania's Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant, which operates two CANDU reactors developed by Canadian engineering firm AtkinsRealis.

Türkiye is seeking to expand its nuclear power capacity beyond the four-reactor Akkuyu plant, which is being built by Russia's state-owned nuclear company Rosatom in the southern Mersin province and is expected to begin generating electricity later this year.

Ankara plans to construct two additional large-scale nuclear power plants, one in Sinop on the Black Sea coast and in the Thrace region, with negotiations continuing with South Korea for a second facility and discussions with Canada accelerating in recent months for a third project.

"A critical process is underway for Türkiye," Bayraktar said during the visit.

"Following Akkuyu, we are evaluating technology choices, potential partnerships and the countries we will work with on future nuclear projects," he added.

Türkiye aims to reach 7.2 gigawatts (GW) of nuclear generation capacity by 2035 and 20 GW by 2050. It plans to complement the conventional nuclear plants with small modular reactors (SMRs).

Akkuyu's four reactors will have a combined installed capacity of 4,800 megawatts (MW).

Once all units are operational, it is expected to supply from 10% to 15% of Türkiye's electricity demand.

In addition to cost and electricity pricing, Ankara is placing increasing emphasis on localization requirements in ongoing negotiations, seeking to ensure that a significant share of equipment and components can be manufactured domestically and integrated into the global nuclear supply chain.

Bayraktar said AtkinsRealis is expected to meet Turkish suppliers and equipment manufacturers later this month or in early July.

"We want a nuclear power plant that is competitive, more affordable, highly secure and has a high degree of localization," he said.

Türkiye has also been engaged in long-running discussions with China over nuclear cooperation and has intensified contacts with South Korea in recent months.

Bayraktar said the visit to Romania provided an opportunity to examine operational examples of CANDU technology in a nearby country with which Türkiye maintains close relations.

Türkiye views nuclear energy as a key component of its strategy to strengthen energy security and achieve its target of net-zero emissions by 2053.

"Türkiye wants access to nuclear power at competitive prices while ensuring the highest safety standards," Bayraktar said.

"We will move forward with future projects through a more comprehensive approach that also addresses nuclear waste management and fuel supply security."