The Italian Council of Ministers, chaired by Giorgia Meloni, has adopted a bill assigning the government exclusive responsibility for organising the reintroduction of nuclear energy in the country. The bill provides for the development of a National Programme for Sustainable Nuclear Power and the creation of an independent Nuclear Safety Authority. The legislative framework is based on energy sovereignty, consistent with European decarbonisation policies.
A framework for advanced technologies and safety
The bill authorises the use of advanced fission technologies and small modular reactors (SMRs), in a context of diversifying the energy mix. The government will have 12 months from the law’s entry into force to adopt the implementing decrees. The text also includes the strengthening of scientific research, industrial skills development, and a public information campaign.
According to the Council of Ministers, the initiative “goes beyond previous nuclear experiences” by relying on the best available technologies. It also considers the opinion of the Joint Conference, a coordination body between the central government and the regions.
Return of a sector halted for more than 30 years
Italy phased out its four nuclear power plants following the 1987 referendum, which came after the Chernobyl accident. The last two reactors, located in Caorso and Trino Vercellese, were permanently shut down in 1990. A restart attempt in 2011 was rejected by 94% of voters after the Fukushima disaster.
However, a poll conducted in June 2021 showed that one-third of Italians supported reconsidering the nuclear option. More than half of respondents expressed openness to the future use of advanced nuclear technologies.
Industrial revival and national strategy
In May 2023, the Italian Parliament adopted a motion encouraging the government to consider integrating nuclear into the national energy strategy. This was followed, in September of the same year, by the first meeting of the National Platform for Sustainable Nuclear Power, tasked with identifying industrial opportunities already present in the country.
Minister of the Environment and Energy Security Gilberto Pichetto welcomed the approval of the bill as “a fundamental tool to look to the future”, citing SMR, AMR (advanced modular reactors), and fusion technologies as key development drivers within the framework of technological neutrality.
