Full Breakdown
Italy Schedules Senate Vote to Enable a Return to Nuclear Power
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
The Italian Senate will vote on September 23 on a bill that creates a regulatory framework for re-introducing nuclear electricity. The draft is projected to pass with 81 votes in favor, 51 against, and seven abstentions. If approved, the law gives the government twelve months to issue implementing decrees covering reactor licensing, safety standards, waste management and site criteria for small modular reactors (SMRs) and advanced modular reactors (AMRs).
Background & Context
Italy abandoned nuclear power after a 1987 referendum following the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, shutting its last reactors in 1990. Since then the country has relied on imported energy, including electricity from French nuclear plants. Rising demand, climate targets and the energy-security shock from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have led Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s administration to revisit nuclear options, arguing that modern SMRs are safer and quicker to build than older large reactors.
Legislative Details & Timeline
- Bill content – establishes the legal basis for SMRs and AMRs, excludes large conventional reactors, and creates an independent regulator.
- Implementation window – the government must adopt the necessary decrees within 12 months of the law’s entry into force.
- Future steps – after the decrees, specific reactor and waste-storage sites will need to be proposed, assessed and approved before construction can begin.
Data & Statistics
- Vote tally – 81 yes, 51 no, 7 abstentions (projected).
- Cost estimate – a 300-MW SMR is priced between €3 billion and €6 billion (? $3.5 billion–$7 billion), excluding grid upgrades.
- Public opinion – June 2026 surveys reported 55 % and 51 % support for next-generation nuclear plants.
- Waste management gap – Italy lacks a permanent national repository; existing material remains in temporary storage.
- Fiscal context – a 3.1 % deficit keeps Italy under the EU’s Excessive Deficit Procedure.
- Energy-mix target – nuclear could supply at least 11 % of electricity by 2050, potentially rising to 22 %.
Official Statements & Responses
- Energy Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin called the vote “a historic day for Italy” and said nuclear is a “key pillar of Italy’s strategy” for reducing reliance on imports.
- Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni framed the legislation as a response to surging energy prices ahead of the 2027 election, emphasizing consumer protection.
Criticism & Opposition
- Critics note the absence of a permanent waste repository and question the timeline for commercial SMR deployment in Europe.
- Senior energy adviser Michele Governatori (ECCO) warned that the framework may limit private-sector appetite given cost and technology-readiness concerns.
- Opposition parties say they will challenge specific reactor and waste-storage site proposals once submitted.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- Public support – surveys differ (55 % vs. 51 %) due to methodology.
- Economic viability – analysts doubt SMR projects can reach commercial scale without substantial subsidies.
- Waste solution – legislation does not detail a timeline for establishing a permanent repository.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Any new plants should be located primarily in areas that are already developed, degraded or affected by decommissioned industrial activities, without consuming additional land,” — Five Star Movement
What’s Next
Within twelve months the government must issue decrees on licensing, safety, spent-fuel management and nuclear-fusion research. Once those rules are in place, developers can submit SMR site proposals, which will undergo parliamentary and local-community review.