Italy's Government Adopts Plan for Return to Nuclear Power

Italy Moves Forward with Plans to Reintroduce Nuclear Energy

By Angelo Amante

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's government on Friday adopted a law paving the way for a return to nuclear energy almost 40 years after it was banned by referendum, in what Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described as a step towards energy security and self-sufficiency.

The law, which has to be approved by parliament, gives the government a mandate to adopt detailed decrees for the transition. Energy Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin said last month he expected the process to be completed by end-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.

Italy is aiming to use advanced modular reactors to produce sustainable nuclear energy and decarbonise its most polluting industries. The government says advances in technology and safety make the 1987 referendum ban on nuclear power obsolete.

It estimates it would save 17 billion euros ($17.69 billion) on the cost of decarbonising the economy by 2050 if nuclear power made up at least 11% of the energy mix. The national energy and climate plan says the portion could rise to 22%.

According to a Friday presentation by the energy ministry, the government's law will set out how the new nuclear modules should operate and commission scientific research on the technologies needed.

It would also pave the way for the dismantlement of old nuclear plants in Italy and establish an independent authority to supervise the sector.

Italy has retained key expertise in the nuclear sector. State-controlled utility Enel operates nuclear power stations in Spain and energy major Eni is investing in a project to develop a nuclear fusion reactor in the United States.

Last year Pichetto Fratin said that Italy was in talks with several companies including U.S. energy group Westinghouse and France's EDF as potential partners for a state-backed company that will build advanced nuclear reactors in the country.

Earlier this month, Italian dailies Corriere della Sera and Il Sole 24 Ore said the state-backed company, involving Enel, Ansaldo and Leonardo and due to study options for building small nuclear reactors, was close to being formed.

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(Reporting by Angelo Amante; editing by Philippa Fletcher)