Italy announced its return to nuclear power after a 35-year gap during which the country ceased its nuclear activities in 1990, following the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, which led to a referendum resulting in the shutdown of all nuclear plants.
The Financial Times, on July 14, reported that the Italian government is renewing its efforts to build nuclear power plants.
Gilberto Piketto Fratin, Italy’s Minister of Environment and Energy, stated, “We plan to propose a bill to allow SMR investment so that small modular reactors (SMRs) can be operated within 10 years.”
The move aimed to reduce Italy’s dependence on fossil fuels. The government is considering generating over 11% of its total electricity consumption from nuclear power by 2050.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Italy built four nuclear power plants. However, the Chernobyl nuclear accident in Ukraine led to a nationwide referendum on November 8-9, 1987.
Despite reports suggesting that 80% of the people supported nuclear power, the referendum ultimately led to the decision to de-nuclearize. Italy then shut down all four of its existing nuclear power plants, with the last reactor ceasing operation in 1990, making Italy a nuclear-free country.
The Italian Chamber of Deputies is now launching a major inquiry into how nuclear energy could assist Italy in achieving its energy transition goals. This is a significant step for a country that remains the only G7 nation without operational nuclear power stations. The chamber’s Environment Committee decided to conduct a study on the role of nuclear energy in guiding Italy towards decarbonisation by 2030 and achieving climate neutrality by 2050.
However ever, this decision faced political challenges. Only members of the pro-nuclear majority voted in favor, while representatives of the Democratic Party (PD/S&D), the Five Star Movement (M5S), and the Green Left Alliance abstained.
Italy had previously attempted to revive its nuclear power industry. In 2008, Silvio Berlusconi’s pro-nuclear government proposed that nuclear power comprise 25% of Italy’s energy mix by 2030. However, this effort was thwarted by a referendum in 2011.
Davide Tabarelli, president of the energy and environmental research company Nomisma Energia, commented on Italy’s energy transition efforts, highlighting the urgency of the situation.
“If there is a climate emergency, we must have advanced third-generation reactors immediately and not wait for the fourth or fifth, or even nuclear fusion, which is still a dream at the moment,” he said.
He emphasized the importance of nuclear power in Europe, noting that existing plants, such as those in France, are aging and that the continent needs nuclear energy to complement the inconsistent production of renewables.
However, not everyone shares this enthusiasm for nuclear energy.
“It is clear, data in hand on the role of nuclear power globally, timing, cost, and unresolved problems, that nuclear power can have no role in Italy’s energy transition. Safe nuclear power does not exist; it’s pure science fiction. We do not have time, in a country with an average of more than 140 extreme weather events, to think about failing technologies”, Katiuscia Eroe, an energy expert from Legambiente, told Euractiv.
Despite differing opinions, Italy is taking steps to re-integrate nuclear power into its energy strategy. On July 15, Italy joined the EU nuclear alliance as an observer at the Energy Council in Brussels. Additionally, last November, Italy’s National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Ansaldo Nucleare, RATEN, SCK CEN, and Westinghouse Electric Company for the joint development of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs).