The Chamber of Deputies has passed legislation that would allow Italy to reintroduce nuclear power for the first time in nearly four decades, as the Meloni government pursues energy independence and decarbonisation goals.
Italy’s lower house of parliament, the Chamber of Deputies, has approved a bill presented by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government paving the way for the country’s return to the use of nuclear energy. The measure passed with 155 votes in favour, 86 against and eight abstentions.
The bill does not authorise the construction of nuclear power plants. Instead, it grants the government the authority to issue implementing decrees within one year of the law’s final parliamentary approval. No specific reactor projects are linked to the legislation. Rather, the decrees would establish the legal framework under which the government could further develop plans for a return to nuclear energy and assess potential projects at a later stage.
What the bill provides for
The bill empowers the government to comprehensively regulate the introduction of sustainable nuclear power within the framework of European decarbonisation policies by 2050 and energy security objectives. The mandate includes 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.
Environment and Energy Security Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin welcomed the vote. “With the approval of the enabling law on sustainable nuclear power in the Chamber, we are taking an important step for Italy’s energy future,” he said. “Sustainable nuclear means more energy security, more decarbonisation, more independence. We want an Italy that is less dependent on foreign countries, with more accessible energy for families and businesses.”
The bill now goes to the upper house, the Senate, where the government expects the legislation to receive final approval before the summer recess at the end of July. The implementing legislative decrees must be adopted within twelve months of the law’s entry into force.
Italy’s nuclear power history
Italy operated a total of four nuclear power plants starting in the early 1960s but decided to phase out nuclear power in a referendum that followed the 1986 Chernobyl accident. It closed its last two operating plants, Caorso and Trino Vercellese, in 1990.
A subsequent attempt to restart a nuclear programme was abandoned after the 2011 Fukushima disaster, when a referendum saw an overwhelming majority of Italians again reject atomic energy.
