Italy approves legal framework for return to nuclear energy after 40 years

In Italy, the enabling law prepared by the right-wing coalition government led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, which paves the way for the country's return to nuclear energy production, has passed through parliament.

The bill, which was accepted by the Chamber of Deputies in June, has now been approved by the Senate, the upper house of parliament, and has become law. In the vote at the 205-seat Senate General Assembly, the regulation was accepted with 81 votes in favor and 51 against.

The law authorizes the government to prepare regulations regarding energy production from sustainable nuclear sources, fusion research, and the management of radioactive waste within one year. Thus, Italy has entered the process of creating a new regulatory framework for nuclear energy production after approximately 40 years.

“HISTORIC DAY” MESSAGE FROM THE GOVERNMENT

Italian Minister of Environment and Energy Security Gilberto Pichetto Fratin said in a statement after the vote in the Senate, “Today is a historic day for Italy. Parliament has definitively approved the new nuclear energy law.”

Fratin argued that sustainable nuclear energy, together with renewable sources, would make the country “safe, independent, and competitive.” The minister stated that the regulation means more energy for families and businesses.

Prime Minister Meloni also stated in a post on her social media account, “After approximately 40 years, Italy is returning to a regulatory framework for nuclear energy production. A courageous and common-sense choice.”

Meloni reminded that Italy currently imports electricity produced in nuclear power plants in neighboring countries but does not produce its own nuclear energy. She said that with the new regulation, energy security would increase, and the impact of foreign dependency and international crises on bills would decrease.

The Prime Minister also drew attention to the increasing demand for electricity, emphasizing that data centers and the use of artificial intelligence would increase energy needs. According to Meloni, the law does not aim for a return to the old nuclear power plant model, but rather a framework based on new technologies.

Italy produced nuclear energy between 1963 and 1990. Following the Chernobyl disaster, it was decided to close the plants as a result of a public referendum held in 1987, and the country's nuclear power plants were decommissioned in 1990.

In the 2011 referendum held to lift the nuclear energy ban, voters voted in favor of continuing the ban. In recent years, crises in energy supply and discussions regarding new-generation small reactors have brought the topic of a return to nuclear energy back to the country's agenda.