Italy Overturns 40-Year Nuclear Ban
Haley Zaremba

Last week, the Italian government adopted a law to overturn a 40-year ban on nuclear energy in a pivotal move for the future of the country’s energy landscape. Under the law, which has yet to be approved by parliament, Italy must adopt detailed decrees to revitalize the nation’s long-dormant nuclear power sector. Energy Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin anticipates that the nation’s new consolidated nuclear code will be ready by the end of 2027. 

"The government has approved another important measure to ensure clean, safe, low-cost energy that can guarantee energy security and strategic independence," said Italian prime minister Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni after the cabinet meeting in which the law was adopted.

The law that the Italian government adopted last Friday “aims to establish a comprehensive regulatory framework for sustainable nuclear energy production” which will comprise a wide range of nuclear-related logistical and policy framings including “nuclear power generation, the decommissioning and dismantling of existing plants, management of radioactive waste and spent fuel, research and development of fusion energy, and the reorganisation of competences and responsibilities in the sector” according to reporting from Euractiv.

The plan is centered on the deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs) and advanced modular reactors (AMRs), which are manufactured in a factory setting before being installed on site. These emerging technologies are much more cost effective and efficient than designing and building traditional nuclear reactors, which are custom-built for each site. These models are also supposed to be safer than previous generations of reactors, as they have built-in passive safety mechanisms. 

The Italian government pointed to these gains in safety and efficiency as reasoning to revisit and overturn the country’s 1987 referendum ban on nuclear power production. The draft law dictates that Italy should make "a clear break [...] with respect to the nuclear plants of the past" and go on to "use of the best available technologies, including modular and advanced technologies".

Italy estimates that if 11% of the national energy mix comes from nuclear energy by 2050, the country will save 17 billion euros ($17.69 billion) on decarbonization expenditures. The plan, if adopted as written by the Italian parliament, could potentially lead to a 22% share for nuclear energy, according to reporting from Reuters.

The idea of cheap energy is particularly appealing to Italy right now as the country endures a protracted energy crisis. Italians are suffering from punishingly high electricity bills, which many experts credit to the country’s reliance on natural gas imports. In January 2025, electricity costs in Italy were 25% higher than in Germany, 40% higher than in France and 48% higher than in Spain, with a 44% year-on-year increase compared to last January. Increasing the nation’s domestic energy production capacities with nuclear, would boost Italy’s energy security and help shield the country from market volatility. 

Italy is not alone in its recent embrace of nuclear energy. Indeed, Italy is not even alone in its complete 180 degree turn in nuclear policy. Japan, too, recently announced a return to nuclear power production after the nation completely shunned the technology in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear tragedy in 2011. In recent years nuclear has exploded in popularity in both private and public sectors on a global scale thanks to these next-generation technologies and a growing emphasis on decarbonization. Unlike renewable resources like solar and wind power, which are weather-dependent and therefore variable in their production, nuclear is a steady baseload power yielding zero carbon emissions.

"With the latest generation nuclear, together with renewables, we will be able to achieve the objectives of decarbonisation, guaranteeing the full energy security of the country," says Minister Pichetto Fratin. "In this way, Italy is ready to face the challenges of the future."

By Haley Zaremba for Oilprice.com

Haley Zaremba is a writer and journalist based in Mexico City. She has extensive experience writing and editing environmental features, travel pieces, local news in the Bay Area, and music/culture reviews.

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