Italy establishes a legislative framework to relaunch its nuclear industry

[Updated on March 6, 2025] After nearly 40 years of prohibition, Rome is taking steps to return to nuclear energy. The Italian government aims to pass a law establishing a framework for reviving civilian nuclear power. The goal: to strengthen the country’s energy security, diversify its electricity mix, and accelerate decarbonization. This strategy aligns with the global momentum to revive nuclear energy.

On February 28, the Italian government announced its intention to pass a law paving the way for the return of nuclear energy, nearly 40 years after it was banned by referendum. This initiative seeks to enhance the country’s energy security and meet decarbonization targets. The law grants the executive branch a mandate to issue decrees detailing the conditions for nuclear energy’s return, including the preferred technologies, regulatory mechanisms, and key stakeholders.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated: “The government has approved a major measure to ensure clean, safe, and low-cost energy that will guarantee our energy security and strategic independence.” Energy Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin added: “With next-generation nuclear power, we can achieve our decarbonization goals while ensuring the country’s full energy security.”

Con il #nucleare di nuova generazione, insieme alle rinnovabili, saremo in grado di raggiungere gli obiettivi della decarbonizzazione, garantendo la piena sicurezza energetica del Paese. Così l’Italia è pronta ad affrontare le sfide del futuro. pic.twitter.com/QonbMXomJr

— Gilberto Pichetto (@GPichetto) February 28, 2025

Up to 22% of the Energy Mix

According to government estimates, integrating nuclear energy could save Italy €17 billion in decarbonization costs by 2050 if nuclear accounts for at least 11% of the energy mix. The National Energy and Climate Plan suggests that this share could even reach 22%. The law also includes the creation of an independent authority to oversee the nuclear sector and collaboration with companies such as Westinghouse and EDF to develop advanced reactors in Italy.

Before shutting down its nuclear program, Italy operated four reactors, which accounted for a modest 8% of its electricity mix. The country had previously considered reviving nuclear power under the Berlusconi administration in the late 2000s, in partnership with EDF. However, this plan was abandoned after the Fukushima accident in 2011.

A Global Nuclear Revival

Today, the global trend is toward a nuclear resurgence. According to the Nuclear Revival Monitoring Report by the French Nuclear Energy Society (Sfen), global nuclear capacity is increasing due to a steady pace of new reactor deployments and the end of premature plant closures. Currently, 62 reactors are under construction, with a total capacity of 75 GW—representing an almost 20% increase in global nuclear capacity once they are operational. ■