The new policy will allow for development of new nuclear power plants.
- Italy’s government has approved a law to overturn a 40-year ban on nuclear energy, aiming to establish a comprehensive regulatory framework for sustainable nuclear power production.
- The plan centers on deploying small and advanced modular reactors, which are considered safer and more cost-effective than traditional nuclear reactors.
- Italy estimates that nuclear energy could provide up to 22% of its national energy mix by 2050, leading to significant savings on decarbonization expenditures and increased energy security.
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Italy currently produces over half of its electricity from fossil fuels, with natural gas being the largest share. They do not currently have any operating nuclear plants, but at one time had four small plants, which were shut down in the 1980s.
Italy also imports around 20% of its electricity from elsewhere in Europe.
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The news from Italy comes a few weeks after the government of Japan announced plans to increase the use of nuclear power.
Japan says it will increase its reliance on nuclear energy in a major policy shift as it seeks to meet growing demand from power-hungry sectors like AI and semiconductors.
An energy plan approved by the cabinet on Tuesday called for “maximising the use of nuclear energy” and dropped reference to “reducing reliance on nuclear energy”.
The energy plan, written by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry says that by 2040, nuclear energy should account for 20% of Japan’s grid supply in 2040, more than double the 8.5% share in 2023.
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Japan still has several nuclear plants off-line after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, so restarting those will be easier and faster than building new plants.
_ Pete