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Italy Senate approves law to restart nuclear power after decades-long ban

The bill clears the upper house 81-51, and it sets a legal framework for licensing, safety standards, waste management, and site criteria as implementing decrees are drafted over the next 12 months.

Reported · Written up by our desk · Europe

Italy’s Senate has given final approval to legislation that would pave the way for the country to return to nuclear power nearly four decades after it abandoned atomic energy following the Chernobyl disaster, according to the SCMP Economy.

The measure passed the upper house 81-51 with seven abstentions. It follows earlier approval in the lower Chamber of Deputies and is described as a major step in Premier Giorgia Meloni’s efforts to bolster energy security and meet climate goals.

The law establishes a framework for next-generation nuclear technologies, authorizing the government to draft implementing decrees over the next 12 months covering reactor licensing, safety standards, waste management, and criteria for future sites.

SCMP Economy notes that the construction of any possible new reactors is expected to be years away, and that Italy previously rejected nuclear power in national referendums after both Chernobyl and, later, Japan’s Fukushima accident.

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