Italy Returns to Nuclear After 40-Year Hiatus
Saudi Oil Export Costs Surge as Red Sea Risks Mount With over two decades of journalistic experience working in newspapers, trade publications and as a mining reporter, Andrew Topf is a seasoned writer specializing in… For the first time in nearly four decades, Italy is considering nuclear power as part of its energy calculus.
The Italian Senate on Wednesday gave final approval to a government plan to restart nuclear power generation,Reuters said, almost 40 years after a referendum led to the closure of Italy’s reactors: The government aims to deploy advanced modular reactors to help decarbonise industry and strengthen energy security, arguing that technological and safety advances have rendered the 1987 anti-nuclear vote obsolete.
The country once operated four reactors but decided to phase out nuclear power through a referendum held in 1987, the year following the Chernobyl nuclear accident.
In 2011, after the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan, another referendum found more than 90% of Italians opposed nuclear power plants.
Passing the law means the government over the next 12 months willprepare an executive decreecovering reactor licensing and safety standards, waste management, and site selection criteria.
Italy’s reasons for re-considering nuclear are now familiar.
Wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have rattled energy supply chains, leading to growing voices in Italy that nuclear is needed.
South Korea’s Chosun Biz reports that Italy’s expenditures on energy and electricity imports are a factor worsening the government’s finances.
Moreover, Italian electricity rates have jumped about 80% in the past year, fueling public discontent.
Italy relies heavily on fossil fuels for its total energy supply, with natural gas and petroleum accounting for roughly 80%.
The other 20% comes from renewables, which include solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal and bioenergy.
Electricity demand is expected to rise in the coming years due to the worldwide electrification trend, including the need for power-hungry data centers amid the push for more artificial intelligence (AI).
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