Italy is about to return to nuclear energy: a revolutionary plan!

Italy is about to return to nuclear energy: a revolutionary plan!

Italy is planning a remarkable comeback to nuclear energy! After almost 40 years of rejection, which originated in the Chernobyl disaster, the Italian government under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni now wants to finalize a comprehensive plan to revive nuclear power by the end of 2027. Energy transition is the magic word: With the use of advanced modular reactors, also known as Advanced Modular Reactors (AMR), Italy aims to increase the share of nuclear power in the energy mix, initially to 11% and later even to 22% the small newspaper reported.

Environment Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin emphasizes that these measures will not only contribute to achieving the climate targets by 2050, but will also serve to save significant costs - estimated at over 17 billion euros - in the decarbonization of industry. With this step, Italy wants to become a world leader in the use of modern nuclear technologies and is pursuing partnerships with companies from France and the USA, while the state-controlled energy supplier Enel already successfully operates nuclear power plants in Spain. These plans, Pichetto said, will support polluting industries, such as steel and glass production, that are in dire need of an environmentally friendly transformation, reports Watson.

An end to the nuclear ban?

However, the return to nuclear energy is not without challenges, as the Italian population has clearly voted against new nuclear power plants in two referendums, in 1987 and 2011. The last nuclear power plants were shut down in 1990, and Silvio Berlusconi's plan to revive nuclear power was halted after Fukushima. The government is ensuring that a social consensus is reached in order to shed new light on the issue, which is considered controversial. But time is of the essence, and Italy's economic and environmental future could depend heavily on the new strategy. Approval for the new nuclear energy regulations is currently being drawn up and the government has already set the goal of adopting a legal framework by the end of January.