Government officials in Italy have implemented a new law that allows for nuclear energy to return in the country, four decades after voters banned the technology in a 1987 referendum.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has called the measure, adopted by the government on Feb. 28, a move toward energy security for Italy. The law, which still has to be approved by the country’s parliament, would give officials authority to issue decrees to support nuclear power. Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, the country’s energy minister, recently said he expects procedural moves to bring back nuclear energy will be completed by the end of 2027.
“The government has approved another important measure to ensure clean, safe, low-cost energy that can guarantee energy security and strategic independence,” Meloni said in a video message after a cabinet meeting on Friday.
Officials have said Italy—like many other countries—is looking at advanced small modular reactors (SMRs) to produce nuclear energy. The technology also would allow for decarbonization of the industrial sector. Officials have said that advances in nuclear technology, along with better safety measures, support new development of nuclear power.
Also in the news: Siemens Energy says it will supply small modular reactor technology for Rolls-Royce. The British manufacturer is planning Generation III+ modular nuclear power plants.
The government said nuclear power could support a savings of 17 billion euros ($17.69 billion) toward the cost of decarbonizing Italy’s economy by 2050. The figures are based on nuclear power accounting for at least 11% of the country’s power generation. Officials in a national energy and climate plan, though, estimate nuclear’s share of the energy mix could be at least double that figure.
Officials with the country’s energy ministry in a presentation Friday said the new law will establish operational guidelines for nuclear power. The ministers also said the law allows for commissioning of scientific research around nuclear technologies. The legislation also details protocols on the decommissioning of nuclear plants, and establishes an independent authority to supervise the nuclear power industry.
State-controlled utility Enel is likely to lead the nuclear sector, as it operates nuclear power plants in Spain. Eni, another Italian energy group, is among companies investing in nuclear fusion research in the U.S.
Pichetto Fratin has said Italian officials have had discussions with companies including Westinghouse and French energy major EDF to participate as partners in government-led initiatives to build advanced nuclear reactors in the country.
Italian media outlets earlier in February said a government-backed group that includes Enel, Ansaldo Energia—an Italy-based power engineering group—and energy research firm Leonardo Energy are in the process of joining in an effort to study options for building SMRs.
—Darrell Proctor is a senior editor for POWER.
