George Meloni Photo: EPA/UPG
As reported by liga, recently the government of George Meloni announced its plans to revive nuclear energy in Italy, which the country abandoned 35 years ago. According to Italian Minister of Environment and Energy Security Gilberto Picketto-Frattina, the government is preparing legislative changes to allow investment in small modular reactors. According to plans, nuclear energy is expected to constitute at least 11% of the country’s total electricity production by 2050.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Italy built four nuclear power stations and planned to expand their capacities. However, following the Chernobyl disaster, Italians voted in a referendum against subsidies for the development of new reactors, leading to the closure of all nuclear power plants in the country by 1990. Attempts to revive the nuclear program occurred in 2011 under Silvio Berlusconi’s government, but over 90% of voters rejected his plans in a referendum.
Minister Picketto-Frattina believes that Italians’ historical “aversion” to nuclear energy can be overcome because new technologies have significantly higher safety standards and bring benefits to both the population and businesses. He also emphasized that small modular reactors are more efficient than solar farms, requiring much less land.
“Italy has unique cartographic characteristics, and it does not have large open areas for solar panels. We cannot cover such terrain with solar batteries, like Italy – with its hills and mountains,” added the minister.
These steps by the Meloni government aim to ensure Italy’s energy independence and reduce dependence on imported energy, which is critical to ensuring energy supply stability in the future.
