Nuclear power in Italy

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Alto Lazio

Caorso

Enrico Fermi

Latina

Montalto

Nuclear power stations in
Italy (view)

Closed plants

Canceled plants

Nuclear power in Italy was utilized until the Italian nuclear power referendum closed all plants by 1990, but was reversed in 2008. The country now has plants planned.

The phase out legislation was introduced in 1987. The government decided in 1988 to phase out existing plants, with the last power reactor closing in 1990.

Since that time, Italy became a larger importer of power, reaching approximately 10% of their electricity from nuclear-dependent France by 2007. The new policy, embracing nuclear power is intended to reverse this trend. An earlier agreement to become part owner of the second EPR, to be built in France, having been rejected by the French, Italian utilities are investing heavily in nuclear capacity in central Europe.

In January 2008 a think tank, Energy Lab, started a feasibility study for construction of three or four new nuclear power plants in Italy as a part of a new debate on nuclear power in the country.^[1] The April 2008 win of the Italian general election by the Forza Italia party, which strongly supports nuclear power^[2], makes these plans more likely to be realized. The significant losers in the election were the far left parties opposing nuclear power ^[3], which have been eliminated from the legislature, making Italy one of the few European countries where the Greens have no parliamentary representation at all.

Following Silvio Berlusconi's victory in the 2008 election, Italy's industry minister announced that the government scheduled the start of construction of the first Italian new nuclear-powered plant by 2013.^[4]