Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Italy’s Senate on Wednesday gave final approval to a law that opens the way for the country to return to nuclear power, nearly four decades after the Chernobyl disaster led it to abandon atomic energy. The measure is a major step in Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s push to strengthen energy security and meet climate goals, though any new reactors are still years away.
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The bill was passed by the upper house with 81 votes in favour, 51 against and seven abstentions. It does not allow the construction of reactors yet, but creates the legal framework for next-generation nuclear technologies and allows the government to prepare detailed rules over the next 12 months.
The legislation, which had already been cleared by the lower Chamber of Deputies, authorises the government to draft implementing decrees on reactor licensing, safety standards, waste management and criteria for future sites. The vote puts Italy on a path to reintroducing nuclear power after voters rejected it in two national referendums, first after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster and again after Japan’s Fukushima accident in 2011.
Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, minister for the environment and energy security, called the vote a historic step forward for Italy. “Nuclear isn’t a return to the past,” he said. “When integrated with renewables, it’s a winning technology, which can give extraordinary results for our energy security.”
Meloni’s government has argued that rising electricity demand, climate targets and concerns over energy security exposed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine justify bringing nuclear energy back into Italy’s power mix. Instead of reviving the large reactors of the past, the government is focusing on small modular reactors, or SMRs, and other advanced technologies that supporters say could be safer, more flexible and quicker to build.
Italy was once among Europe’s nuclear pioneers and operated four reactors before a 1987 referendum effectively ended the programme. Since then, the country has relied heavily on imported energy and has become one of Europe’s biggest users of electricity generated by nuclear plants in neighbouring countries. The government says electricity demand could rise sharply in the coming years as homes, businesses and transport become more electrified and as data centres and other energy-intensive technologies expand.
Italy’s move comes amid a wider debate in Europe over the role of nuclear power in cutting carbon emissions and reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels. Countries such as France and Poland are investing in new nuclear projects or planning major expansion. Public opinion in Italy also appears to be shifting. A June 2026 survey by research firm Only Numbers found that around 55 per cent of Italians support next-generation nuclear plants, with support strongest among younger people who have no direct memory of Chernobyl.
Even so, major obstacles remain before any reactors can be built. Italy still does not have a permanent national repository for radioactive waste from its earlier nuclear programme, and that waste continues to be stored at temporary facilities across the country. Future reactor projects and waste-storage sites are also expected to face resistance from local communities.
Energy analysts have also raised questions about the cost of nuclear power, pointing to high construction expenses and the lack of commercially proven SMR projects operating at scale in Europe. Industry estimates put the cost of a single 300-megawatt SMR at between 3 billion and 6 billion euros, excluding additional infrastructure and grid costs.
Michele Governatori, a senior energy adviser at climate and energy think tank ECCO, welcomed the creation of a regulatory framework but said it would probably show limited private-sector interest in new nuclear projects. “Having a regulatory framework in place is positive, but it will also make clear the limited interest of private investors in technologies that are either not competitive today or not yet ready, such as SMRs,” he said.
Governatori also said Italy should focus on measures already available to lower energy costs and reduce dependence on fossil fuels, including electrification, energy efficiency, renewable energy, storage capacity and power-grid upgrades. Environmental groups and opposition parties have already signalled resistance to the government’s plans and could challenge future projects once specific reactor and waste-storage sites are proposed.
In sum, the Senate vote gives Italy the legal base to begin preparing for a possible return to nuclear power, but decisions on actual reactors remain some distance away as the government works on rules, waste management and future sites amid political, economic and local opposition.
With PTI Inputs
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
