Italy pushes to revive nuclear power as generational split emerges

The government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is preparing legislation that would create a legal framework for next‑generation nuclear technologies in Italy. The draft, expected to be approved by Parliament next week, would give the cabinet twelve months to issue implementing decrees on reactor licensing, safety standards, waste management and site selection. Environment and Energy Security Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin said, “The duty of the government at this moment is to create the conditions so that those who will eventually decide on installations will be able to do so.”

The move aims to strengthen energy security and meet climate‑change targets after electricity demand is projected to rise by at least 30 % in the coming decade, especially in light of the Ukraine war and tensions in the Middle East. Younger Italians are more supportive of nuclear energy as a low‑carbon source, while older voters recall the 1986 Chernobyl disaster and the 1987 referendum that shut down the country’s four reactors. A previous attempt to revive nuclear power failed after Japan’s Fukushima disaster in 2011. Italy’s revival would be one of Europe’s most ambitious energy reversals, contrasting with ongoing nuclear expansions in France and Poland.