Italy's Senate Clears Path to Revisit Nuclear Power, 40 Years After Phaseout

Italy's Senate has passed legislation giving the government twelve months to rewrite the regulatory framework needed to potentially reopen nuclear reactors in the country by 2034, marking a step toward reviving a sector Italy abandoned four decades ago.

The vote reflects a push by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government to reconsider nuclear energy as part of Italy's future power mix, four decades after the country voted to phase out nuclear power in a referendum following the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.

Under the bill, the government will have a year to establish the legal and regulatory groundwork required before any reactors could be built or reopened, with officials setting 2034 as a potential target date for new nuclear capacity to come online. The measure does not itself authorize construction of new reactors, but sets in motion the regulatory process that would need to precede any such step.

Italy's history with nuclear power includes the operation of several reactors before a 1987 referendum, held in the aftermath of Chernobyl, led to their closure. Since then, Italy has relied on a mix of imported electricity, natural gas and renewable sources to meet its energy needs.

The push to revisit nuclear energy comes amid a broader European debate over energy security and decarbonization, with several countries reassessing the role nuclear power might play in meeting climate targets while reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels.