Italy approves legal framework to end 40-year nuclear moratorium

Italy has approved a legal framework that effectively ends a nearly 40-year moratorium on nuclear energy. The Italian Senate supported the measure with 81 votes in favor and 51 against, allowing the government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to begin drafting regulations regarding safety, licensing, waste management, and site selection.

While the new law does not immediately authorize the construction of reactors or the generation of electricity, it establishes the necessary legal foundation for future development. Meloni has emphasized a focus on new-generation technologies rather than returning to the older models used before the country's previous nuclear phase-out following the Chernobyl and Fukushima disasters.

The shift comes amid rising electricity demand driven by artificial intelligence, data centers, and electric mobility, as well as a need for greater energy security. This move aligns with broader European trends, as the European Commission has included nuclear energy in its green taxonomy and seeks to maintain it within the energy mix through 2050.