Italy: Ministry Of Environment Reopens Access To Nuclear Energy

Widespread skepticism aside, the idea of a return to nuclear power is increasingly being discussed in Italy. Despite numerous problems, the government of Rome is thinking about it, perhaps, realizing that without the atom it will be difficult to achieve long-term decarbonization goals.

The Italian Minister of Environment and Energy Security, Gilberto Pichetto-Fratin, announced in the Senate on September 21 that “the first meeting of the National Platform for Sustainable Nuclear Energy has taken place. The platform is supported by ENEA (National Agency for New Technologies, Energy, and Sustainable Economic Development) and RSE (an energy system research company) and aims to define, within a predictable time frame, the resumption of nuclear power in Italy.”

The goal is to summarize the industrial supply chain that already operates in this sector and to assess its growth potential. Guidelines will then be prepared to “coordinate the development of new nuclear technologies in the medium to long term,” with the ultimate goal set between 2030 and 2050.

The future of nuclear energy in Italy will, of course, not be an alternative but a complement to renewable energy sources, that is, a way to stabilize energy supply and grid management, given that solar and wind are by nature intermittent.

“Italy must continue to be the protagonist of large international projects, both nuclear and thermonuclear, in which national companies are involved, also with significant orders. We want to clarify this issue at the national level,” explained Minister Pichetto-Fratin. “This is not about proposing large-scale nuclear power plants, but about evaluating new safe technologies such as small modular reactors (SMRs) and advanced fourth-generation small modular reactors (AMRs).”