ROME — Italy could be generating nuclear electricity again by 2035, Energy Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin said, as a landmark bill to reverse the country’s decades-long nuclear shutdown heads for a vote in the senate. Italy turned away from nuclear power after a 1987 referendum prompted by the Chernobyl disaster, closing its last plants in 1990. Now geopolitical uncertainty and some of Europe’s highest business electricity costs are driving a rethink.
The bill would establish a legal pathway for new reactors. It is expected to reach the senate on Monday, with approval expected within days, having passed the lower house in June. In an interview with POLITICO, Pichetto Fratin said the energy shocks linked to Ukraine and the Persian Gulf had exposed Italy’s “excessive dependence” on foreign supplies, making nuclear power a matter of “national security.” The push reflects Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s ambition to make Italian industry more competitive amid Europe’s drive for energy independence.
The European Commission unveiled a strategy in March to accelerate small modular reactors. Pichetto Fratin cited forecasts of sharply rising electricity demand over the next 10 to 15 years as transport and industry electrify and data centers expand to support artificial intelligence. Generational change was also softening resistance, he argued.
They are determined to get to the bottom of things and realize that nuclear power can be a safe source of energy that can help achieve decarbonization,” he said. Italy’s plans focus on small modular reactors. Pichetto Fratin said serial production by the end of this decade could cut construction to three or four years, allowing generation in 2034 or 2035.
The current legislation will not immediately authorize construction but will lay the groundwork for an independent nuclear safety authority, establish waste management rules and advance plans for a national repository for radioactive waste. Pichetto Fratin said implementing decrees would be presented by the end of the year, with industrial partners assessing costs, potential operators and sites. He favored private management under strict public supervision.
Industry has already begun weighing the options. Italian utility company Enel, power equipment maker Ansaldo Energia and defense group Leonardo established a joint venture, Nuclitalia, to assess advanced nuclear technologies. In June, French energy giant EDF signed a declaration of intent with Italian industrial partners to develop small modular reactors, targeting the first plants by 2035.
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