News Center

Italy Plans to Legislate to Restart Nuclear Power Within This Year

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced on Wednesday that her government will approve a legal framework by this summer to restart nuclear power production, marking a potential return of the energy source decades after it was phased out.

Italy gradually abandoned nuclear power following a referendum held after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.

Meloni stated that the government now plans to reintroduce nuclear power through next-generation small modular reactors developed by the private sector. The government intends to adopt legislation for the nuclear initiative later this year.

The initiative aims to strengthen Italy’s energy autonomy and reduce costs amid rising economic pressure from geopolitical instability. Meloni linked the move to ongoing tensions, including conflicts involving Iran, which the government says have driven up energy costs and increased economic strain.

“Clearly, the situation we are in—within an especially complex international economic framework and ongoing geopolitical tensions—is affecting growth, energy costs, business competitiveness and household purchasing power,” Meloni said during question time in the Senate.