How the Canada-India Pact is Supercharging Energy Tech

Canada and India have forged a broad-based strategic technology partnership, anchored by a CA$2.6bn advanced energy deal centred on uranium supply and new collaboration across clean tech, green hydrogen and critical digital minerals such as lithium and cobalt.

The agreement was reached during Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to Mumbai and New Delhi, marking the first official Canadian delegation to India since 2018.

It signals a significant reset in bilateral relations after years of diplomatic tension, as both nations look to diversify supply chains, strengthen tech-led energy resilience, and accelerate digital transformation.

With India’s technology and energy demand expanding faster than any other major economy, the country is investing in nuclear, renewable and data infrastructure to power its industrial growth.

As its 1.4 billion-strong population drives digital adoption and electrification, India is scaling up AI-driven grid systems, sustainable energy innovation and next-generation computing capacity to curb emissions and reduce reliance on imports.

Nuclear energy at the core

At the centre of the agreement is a long-term uranium supply contract between Saskatoon-based Cameco and India’s Department of Atomic Energy.

Under the CA$2.6bn deal, Cameco will deliver nearly 22 million pounds of uranium to India between 2027 and 2035, powering the country’s rapidly expanding nuclear fleet and supporting its broader transition toward low-carbon, tech-enabled energy systems.

Cameco’s CEO Tim Gitzel said: “Cameco is proud to be a strategic partner with India to help meet its civil nuclear fuel needs and support its trade relationship with Canada. 

“India is embarking on an ambitious nuclear expansion to power its development plans and meet the future energy security needs of its people. That isn’t possible without a stable supply of uranium fuel. 

“Importantly, this demand underscores an emerging trend of sovereign buyers locking up large volumes from multiple suppliers, and in a window where demand continues to grow and available supplies continue to become more uncertain and constrained. 

“As a proven and reliable producer, Cameco is globally recognised as a nuclear fuel supplier of choice, and we are pleased to be a trusted provider for India once again.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi underscored the scale of the agreement during talks in Delhi, telling reporters that the partnership reflects India’s ambition to expand its clean energy and advanced technology capabilities while deepening strategic ties with Canada.

"In civil nuclear energy, we have reached a landmark deal for long-term uranium supply. We will also work together on small modular reactors and advanced reactors," Prime Minister Modi said.

The reference to small modular reactors and advanced reactor technologies highlights a broader ambition to collaborate beyond fuel supply, potentially extending into next-generation nuclear design and deployment.

Prime Minister Modi described Canada and India as natural partners in technology and innovation, underscoring a bilateral commitment to expand cooperation across supercomputing, AI and semiconductor development, alongside plans to co-host a renewable energy summit.

Prime Minister Carney positioned Canada as a dependable long-term supplier of nuclear fuel supporting India’s clean energy transition and digital energy ecosystem.

The uranium contract sits within a newly launched Strategic Energy Partnership spanning LNG, LPG, uranium, solar and hydrogen.

Renewables and clean fuels cooperation

Alongside nuclear collaboration, both governments signed a memorandum of understanding on renewable energy cooperation between India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and Canada’s Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources.

The agreement outlines plans for deeper technical collaboration across solar, wind, biomass, waste-to-energy, small hydropower and energy storage, along with initiatives to build skills and exchange expertise.

Canada also confirmed it will start the process of joining the International Solar Alliance, further strengthening its role in driving innovation and deployment within the global solar sector.

India welcomed Canada’s move to attain full membership in the Global Biofuels Alliance, a step that enhances cooperation on advanced biofuel research and production as part of their shared clean energy ambitions.

Hydrogen stands out as another focal point of the partnership.

Simon Fraser University and the Hydrogen Association of India have agreed to advance joint hydrogen innovation through an MoU focused on research partnerships and technology development aimed at accelerating the adoption of clean hydrogen.

Carbon capture technology also features prominently in the framework.

A separate MoU between Saskatchewan’s Petroleum Technology Research Center and the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay’s National Centre of Excellence in Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage will drive joint research, data exchange and pilot projects to advance CCUS innovation.

Critical minerals and supply chains

Energy cooperation also extends into critical minerals, a sector that sits at the core of both nations’ industrial and technology strategies.

India’s Ministry of Mines and Canada’s Department of Natural Resources have signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen critical minerals value chains, spanning exploration, mining, processing, investment promotion, and technical collaboration.

Further agreements between the Saskatchewan Research Council and Indian partners will foster joint work in mineral exploration, downstream refining and the development of advanced nonferrous metals technologies.

These initiatives aim to expand supply chain resilience and secure the materials required for renewable energy systems, battery storage and high-tech manufacturing.

Prime Minister Carney positioned the wider partnership as part of a strategic realignment, reflecting Canada’s and India’s shared focus on stability, innovation and sustainable growth in a shifting global landscape.

“India is the fastest-growing major economy and a powerhouse of global commerce and technology. In a rapidly changing world, Canada and India are transforming their economies to be more diversified, more independent, and more resilient,” he said. 

“Our strategic partnership, and the speed at which we are working to unleash its potential in energy, talent, and AI, is the result of two confident, ambitious nations who want to build the future, together.”

LNG, LPG and energy trade

Beyond nuclear and renewables, the two governments also agreed to deepen collaboration on liquefied petroleum gas, with plans to finalise Canada’s first long-term LPG supply arrangement with India.

Liquefied natural gas features prominently within the Strategic Energy Partnership, aligning with India’s rising gas consumption and its efforts to expand the role of natural gas in a more diversified, cleaner energy portfolio.

Together, these energy initiatives form part of a wider trade framework.

Both governments reaffirmed their commitment to conclude negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement by the end of 2026, aiming to boost bilateral trade and strengthen cooperation across energy, technology and industrial development.

Investment and industrial expansion

The visit also yielded a series of commercial agreements focused on energy, industry and advanced technology collaboration.

Elk Valley Resources of British Columbia signed memoranda of understanding with several Indian steel producers covering prospective sales of 1.2 million tonnes of metallurgical coal valued at around CA$285 million.

Metal7, a Canadian industrial technology firm, secured confirmed orders worth roughly CA$30m in India, with equipment deliveries scheduled across 2026.

In the clean technology and infrastructure space, Montréal-based Ovivo received an order to supply grit removal systems and supporting equipment for a wastewater treatment facility in Madhya Pradesh.

Together, these partnerships form part of more than CA$5.5bn in commercial deals announced during the visit, spanning energy, mining, manufacturing and technology-driven industrial growth.

Talent, skills and innovation

Talent remains a cornerstone of the revitalised Canada-India partnership.

With a Canadian population that includes more than 1.8 million people of Indian origin, both governments are accelerating academic and research cooperation through the new Canada–India Talent and Innovation Strategy.

The initiative encompasses 13 university collaborations and the creation of a Dalhousie innovation campus in partnership with IIT Tirupati and IISER Tirupati.

Mobility is central to the framework.

It provides funding for 300 Indian student researcher positions, while the University of Toronto has committed up to CA$100m to offer as many as 200 fully funded scholarships for Indian students, alongside new study and research opportunities for Canadians.

An additional CA$10m from Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy will enable more than 85 Canadian graduate students and researchers to gain experience in India.

In advanced technology, Jubilant Bhartia-McGill will launch a new Centre of Excellence in AI Education and Research to train 200 graduates every year.

Complementary AI collaboration agreements between the University of Toronto, the Indian Institute of Science and Jio Institute aim to strengthen joint research, faculty partnerships and industry engagement across the fast-growing digital innovation ecosystem.

Energy security in a shifting landscape

The renewed partnership follows several years of diplomatic friction.

Trade and visa services had previously been limited amid security-related tensions, but both governments have since taken deliberate steps to rebuild cooperation and strengthen engagement.

Analysts suggest that shifting geopolitical dynamics – including exposure to US trade measures and instability in global energy markets – have prompted both nations to diversify partnerships and supply chains.

India is working to reduce its dependence on Russian energy imports and accelerate domestic clean generation, while Canada, as a major exporter of uranium, LNG and critical minerals, provides the supply security and technological collaboration that align with India’s expansion goals.

Prime Minister Carney underscored the momentum behind the reset.

"There has been more engagement between the Canadian and Indian governments in the last year than there has been in more than two decades combined," he said.

With uranium deliveries beginning in 2027 and negotiations continuing on trade and long-term LPG supply, the partnership is transitioning from high-level political agreement to coordinated implementation across nuclear fuel, renewable technologies and critical minerals development.