Meloni approved a law to resume nuclear energy production in Italy after nearly 40 years

The Government of Giorgia Meloni has moved forward with a law that establishes a new regulatory framework for nuclear energy production in Italy, almost four decades after the country abandoned this type of generation.

The law was definitively approved in the Senate with 81 votes in favor, 51 against, and 7 abstentions. However, the legislation does not yet allow for the production of nuclear energy.

The Italian Executive now has a period of 12 months to draft the decrees that must establish the safety conditions, authorization systems, waste management, and criteria for determining sites.

In this way, Italy once again has a framework to regulate the civil use of nuclear energy, something that has not happened since 1987. That year, after the Chernobyl accident, Italians voted in a referendum against this source of generation.

Meloni's Message

Meloni celebrated the approval of the law through her social media and presented the decision as a turning point for the Italian energy system.

"Today the Parliament has definitively approved the law on nuclear energy. After almost forty years, Italy once again has a framework of rules to produce nuclear energy. A brave and common-sense choice. Today we import electricity produced by nuclear plants from neighboring countries, but we cannot produce it ourselves. This law serves to change things", stated the Prime Minister on her X account.

The leader also highlighted the effects that the return of nuclear energy will have on households and businesses. "What does it mean for families and companies? More energy security, less dependence on foreign sources, and less exposure to international crises that we have paid for in our bills," she affirmed.

She added: "Stable and low-emission energy, which works alongside all the others, starting with renewables. And a concrete response to the demand for electricity that will grow with data centers and artificial intelligence."

The project includes next-generation technologies and does not imply an immediate reopening of the old plants that ceased operations.

In this regard, Meloni emphasized: "we are talking about next-generation technologies, not the old plants. Now the Government will draft the implementation rules on safety, authorizations, waste management, and relations with the territories. It was a commitment made to the Italians, another commitment we have fulfilled."

The new framework also modifies the energy situation that Italy has maintained until now. The country did not allow the production of nuclear electricity within its territory but continued to consume energy generated by plants from other states, mainly France.

The approval of the law comes as other European countries advance with projects related to nuclear energy. These include France, Finland, Sweden, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

For Meloni's Government, the goal is to reduce energy dependence from abroad and have a stable source of low-emission generation.

The process initiated with the parliamentary approval thus marks a historic change regarding the energy policy in Italy that has been in place since the late 1980s.