Bill ‘addresses production of energy from sustainable fission and fusion sources’
Italy’s council of ministers has approved a bill delegating responsibility for the reintroduction of nuclear energy to the government as Rome pushes ahead with plans to end a ban on reactors that was introduced after the 1996 Chernobyl disaster, the Agenzia Nova news agency reported.
The bill, which will still need to be approved by parliament, means the government will be able to regulate the introduction of nuclear power, within the framework of European decarbonisation policies and energy security objectives, the agency reported.
The mandate includes, among other things, the development of a national programme for sustainable nuclear power, the establishment of an independent Nuclear Safety Authority, the strengthening of scientific and industrial research, the development of new skills and the implementation of information and awareness campaigns.
The council of ministers, the principal executive organ of the government of Italy, said the bill aims to comprehensively address the production of energy from sustainable nuclear fission and fusion sources, incorporating it into the Italian energy mix to achieve energy independence and decarbonisation goals.
“The measure transcends previous nuclear experiences and focuses on the use of the best available technologies, including modular and advanced ones.”
Italy was a pioneer of nuclear power and had four commercial nuclear plants – Caorso, Enrico Fermi, Garigliano and Latina – providing almost 5% of the country’s electricity production share at their peak in 1986-1987.
The country banned nuclear energy after it was rejected in a national referendum following the Chernobyl disaster and another in 2011 following the Fukushima-Daiichi accident. It shut down its last commercial reactors, Caorso and Enrico Fermi, in 1990.
