The Senate on Wednesday gave definitive approval to a law drafted by Environment and Energy Security Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin paving the way for Italy's return to nuclear power.
Italy abandoned nuclear power following a referendum in the wake of the Chernobyl disaster but Premier Giorgia Meloni's government wants to return to atomic energy with small latest-generation reactors to reduce reliance on imports and cut greenhouse gas emissions.
"Today, Parliament definitively approved the nuclear law," Meloni said on social media.
"After nearly 40 years, Italy once again has a regulatory framework to produce nuclear energy. A bold and sensible decision.
"Today we import electricity generated by nuclear power plants in neighbouring countries, but we cannot produce it ourselves. .
"This law is needed to change that.
"Now the government will draft the implementing regulations on safety, authorizations, waste management, and relations with local communities.
"It was a commitment we made to the Italian people. Another commitment we have kept".
The law gives the government the power to issue decrees regulating this issue and it also sets out the areas of intervention: the construction and operation of power plants, hydrogen production using nuclear energy, spent fuel management and safety, and the establishment of regulatory bodies.
Pichetto Fratin has said that he intends to issue the implementing decrees by the end of the year.
"A significant step is being taken to for the country's energy future with the final approval of the enabling bill on nuclear energy," said Stefania Craxi, the Senate whip of the centre-right Forza Italia (FI) party.
"Next-generation nuclear power offers a concrete solution to ensure Italy's energy independence, shielding it from price volatility.
"We must meet rising energy demand while achieving our decarbonization goals.
"To this end, we need to strengthen our system with next-generation nuclear power while continuing to drive the expansion of renewables.
"This challenge will enable us to create a balanced energy system capable of supporting the country's economic development".
There were also dissenting voices.
"The Right presents nuclear power as a sort of answer to the climate crisis, high energy costs, and the country's foreign (energy) dependency," said Green-Left Alliance (AVS) Senate whip Peppe De Cristofaro.
"It is a gigantic mass distraction—a smokescreen to avoid accountability for the government's failed energy policies.
"After four years of Meloni in power, the country still faces some of the highest energy prices in Europe.
"The question to ask is: what benefit could be gained from a return to nuclear power in the coming years? The answer is that nuclear power will yield no benefits.
"The (new-generation) power plants and technologies are not yet available; in the meantime, we will continue burning gas and relying on imports, while Italians keep paying exorbitant bills.
"All this propaganda regarding nuclear power is precisely the way to prolong our dependence on fossil fuels.
"The government wants to turn Italy into a gas hub without having gas, and into a nuclear power without having uranium.
"AVS says no to a return to nuclear power, and no to giving the government a blank cheque".
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