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Italian parliament approves return to nuclear power

Italian parliament approves return to nuclear power

Rule Changes

Law No. 169 took effect October 15, starting a 12-month clock for reactor rules, 39 years after a referendum closed Italy's plants. The energy minister now expects first reactors around 2041, not 2033-34 as first estimated.

October 28th, 2026: Study puts first SMR power cost at up to €217/MWh

Overview

Updated 5 days ago

Italy's nuclear return law took effect October 15, starting a 12-month clock for the government to write reactor rules. Law No. 169, passed by the Senate 81-51 on September 23, is the first legal path back to atomic power since a 1987 referendum closed Italy's four plants.

A Politecnico di Milano study published October 28 put electricity from the first small modular reactor at up to €217 per megawatt-hour. Timelines are also slipping: Energy Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin now says first reactors may come "in 15 years," about 2041, revising his earlier 2033-34 estimate. Italy still has no site for a national radioactive waste repository.

Why it matters

If Rome builds these reactors, Europe's gas imports, electricity prices, and climate targets all shift.

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Key Indicators

81–51
Senate vote on nuclear law
Final approval vote, with seven abstentions, ending 39 years of nuclear prohibition.
Oct 15, 2026
Law entry into force
Law No. 169 took effect October 15, 2026, starting the 12-month countdown for implementing decrees.
12 months
Deadline for implementing decrees
Government must adopt reactor licensing, safety, and waste rules by October 15, 2027.
24 months
Window for corrective decrees
After the first decrees, the government has two more years to adjust them.
11%
Target nuclear share of energy mix by 2050
Government projection; the share could eventually reach 22%.
8–16 GW
Planned nuclear capacity by 2050
Government scenario range, equal to roughly 11–22% of national electricity demand.
€17 billion
Estimated decarbonization savings by 2050
Government's 2025 plan estimate, in euros.
50 billion kWh
Italy's annual electricity supply gap
Pichetto says Italy is short about 50 billion kilowatt-hours a year today.
2041
Pichetto's revised timeline for first reactors
Minister now says "in 15 years," after earlier saying 2033-34. Meloni says the next decade; the EDF consortium targets 2035.
€217/MWh
Projected cost of first SMR electricity
Politecnico di Milano analysis, published October 28, 2026, put the initial cost of power from the first small modular reactor at up to €217 per megawatt-hour.
84,000 m³
Low-level waste awaiting a national repository
Sogin says the repository must take about 84,000 cubic metres of very-low and low-activity waste, plus 14,000 cubic metres of medium and high-activity waste temporarily. No site chosen.
€20M/yr
Funding for the delegation, 2027-2029
Article 5 of the law allocates €20 million a year for the triennium 2027-2029, plus €1.5 million in 2026 and €6 million in 2027 for consultation and training.

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People Involved

Giorgia Meloni
Giorgia Meloni
Prime Minister of Italy
Leading the right-wing coalition that pushed the nuclear law through Parliament; says first nuclear output within the next decade
 Gilberto Pichetto Fratin
Gilberto Pichetto Fratin
Minister of Environment and Energy Security
Overseeing the implementing decrees; now expects first reactors "in 15 years" (about 2041) and gives no firm date for the decrees
 Elena Sironi
Elena Sironi
Senator, Five Star Movement
Voted against the nuclear law in the Senate
PC
Peppe De Cristofaro
Senate whip, Green-Left Alliance (AVS)
Voted against the nuclear law in the Senate
 Guido Crosetto
Guido Crosetto
Minister of Defence
Says nuclear power is a national security priority; his ministry supports the programme

Organizations Involved

Italian Senate
Italian Senate
Upper house of Italy's Parliament
Passed the nuclear delegation law in its final vote

One of two chambers in Italy's Parliament, alongside the Chamber of Deputies.
Italian Government
Italian Government
National government cabinet
Delegated to write and adopt the nuclear implementing decrees; no firm date for them, and the first-reactor estimate revised to about 2041

The executive branch led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
ISIN — National Inspectorate for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection
ISIN — National Inspectorate for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection
Nuclear safety regulator
Being reorganized as part of the new regulatory framework

Italy's national body for nuclear safety and radiation protection oversight.
Five Star Movement
Five Star Movement
Opposition political party
Voted against the nuclear law

Italy's largest opposition party, founded in 2009 and rooted in anti-establishment politics.
Green-Left Alliance (AVS)
Green-Left Alliance (AVS)
Opposition political party
Voted against the nuclear law

Alleanza Verdi e Sinistra, the Green-Left Alliance, is a left-wing Italian political alliance that opposed the nuclear delegation law.
IM
Italian Ministry of Defence
Government department
Supports the nuclear programme as a national security matter

Defence ministry under Guido Crosetto, involved in the nuclear programme
Sogin
Sogin
State-owned company managing decommissioning and radioactive waste
Seeking a site for the national radioactive waste repository

Italy's state-owned nuclear decommissioning and waste management company

Timeline

November 1987 October 2026

13 events Latest: October 28th, 2026 · 1 week ago Showing 8 of 13
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  1. Study puts first SMR power cost at up to €217/MWh

    Latest Study

    A Politecnico di Milano analysis found electricity from Italy's first small modular reactor could initially cost up to €217 per megawatt-hour. It said investment, clear rules and local consent are still needed.

  2. Law No. 169 enters into force

    Legislation

    Italy's nuclear return law took effect October 15, starting the 12-month window for the government to adopt implementing decrees on licensing, safety, waste and siting. The first statutory deadline is October 15, 2027.

  3. Crosetto: nuclear power is a national security priority

    Policy Statement

    Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said energy security falls within his ministry's remit and the enabling law gives it a role in drafting decrees. He appointed a university professor as energy security adviser.

  4. Pichetto revises first-reactor estimate to about 2041

    Policy Statement

    The energy minister said at a conference that nuclear power "will arrive in 15 years," dropping his earlier 2033-34 estimate. He also stopped naming a date for the implementing decrees.

  5. Meloni: first nuclear output within the next decade

    Policy Statement

    At an Assolombarda event after the law's gazette publication, the prime minister said first energy from new nuclear would come "within the next decade," keeping the government's 2033-34 goal as a political target.

  6. Law No. 169 published in official gazette

    Legislation

    The nuclear delegation law was published as Law No. 169 on September 30 and will enter into force October 15, starting the 12-month countdown for implementing decrees.

  7. Senate approves nuclear law in final vote

    Legislation

    Senate passes 81–51 with seven abstentions; law now heads for formal signature.

  8. Pichetto gives 2033–34 timeline and supply-gap figures

    Policy Statement

    At a post-vote press conference, the minister said Italy is short about 50 billion kilowatt-hours a year, and analysts project a need for at least 100–150 terawatt-hours more from 2040. He repeated his estimate that first reactors could start around 2033–34.

  9. Chamber of Deputies passes the delegation bill

    Legislation

    Lower house approves the measure, sending it to the Senate for a final vote.

  10. EDF and Nuward sign declaration with eight Italian companies

    Agreement

    EDF and its SMR subsidiary Nuward signed a declaration of intent with Edison, Ansaldo, Saipem, Webuild and four other Italian firms to prepare development and deployment of the French reactor.

  11. Meloni government outlines nuclear restart plan

    Policy Announcement

    Cabinet presents delegation bill targeting small modular reactors; projects 11% of energy mix by 2050.

  12. Fukushima prompts second referendum against nuclear

    Referendum

    Italians reject Silvio Berlusconi's nuclear restart plans after the Japan accident.

  13. Referendum ends Italy's nuclear program

    Referendum

    Voters back closing Italy's four reactors after the Chernobyl disaster.

Scenarios

1

Italy adopts nuclear decrees, SMR program moves forward

Likely Resolves by Q3 2027

Discussed by: Government officials including Energy Minister Pichetto Fratin

The government writes the implementing decrees covering reactor licensing, safety standards, waste management, and siting criteria within the law's 12-month window. Pichetto says decrees could arrive by the end of 2026. With rules in place, the government can seek private partners for small modular reactor projects and begin site selection, keeping the 2033–2034 startup target within reach.

2

Decree timeline slips under local, legal, and EU pressure

Possible Resolves by Q1 2028

Discussed by: Five Star Movement, environmental opponents, energy analysts

Local resistance to reactor siting, the unresolved national waste repository, or EU procedural reviews push the decree process past its deadline. Construction targets slide from 2033–2034 toward the late 2030s, and private investors grow cautious about committing capital to projects without clear regulatory closure.

3

Anti-nuclear referendum forces another public vote

Unlikely Resolves by End of 2029

Discussed by: Anti-nuclear movements; political precedent since 1987

Citizens' groups and opposition parties gather the 500,000 signatures needed to petition an abrogative referendum, as happened in 1987 and 2011. If scheduled, the referendum could overturn the law before any reactor is built, repeating the pattern that has blocked nuclear power in Italy twice before.

4

EDF-led consortium advances SMR project toward 2035

Possible Resolves by Oct 15, 2027

Discussed by: EDF, Nuward, Edison, Ansaldo, Maire

EDF and its Italian partners target 2035 for the first reactor, later than the government's 2033-34 estimate. The consortium's progress depends on the implementing decrees, including the 'licence passport' for fast-tracking foreign safety certifications.

5

Waste repository siting stays unresolved toward 2041

Likely

Discussed by: Sogin, Arera, anti-nuclear groups

Italy has searched for a national radioactive waste repository site for more than 20 years without success. Sogin says the repository must take about 84,000 cubic metres of low-level waste and hold another 14,000 cubic metres of medium and high-activity waste temporarily. Arera's parliamentary testimony pointed to 2041 for the repository, the same year Pichetto now expects first reactors. Without a site, public acceptance of new reactors stays weak and licensing may stall.

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

April 1986 – November 1987

Chernobyl and Italy's 1987 referendum (1986–1987)

The April 1986 Chernobyl disaster spread radioactive fallout across Europe. In November 1987, Italian voters approved a referendum that effectively ended the country's civilian nuclear program, leading to the closure of Italy's four operating reactors.

Then

Italy's nuclear plants were shut down and construction projects scrapped.

Now

Italy has had no civilian nuclear fleet for nearly four decades and still lacks a permanent repository for waste from its old plants.

Why this matters now

This referendum is exactly what the 2026 law reverses. Politicians now argue that reactor technology and safety regimes have changed since 1987.

March–June 2011

Fukushima and Italy's 2011 referendum (2011)

After the nuclear accident at Fukushima, Italy's then-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi had planned a nuclear comeback. Voters rejected those plans in a June 2011 referendum, again blocking atomic power.

Then

Nuclear plans were shelved and a ban on new plants confirmed.

Now

The vote reinforced Italy's anti-nuclear consensus for another decade and shaped the current opposition's position.

Why this matters now

Italians rejected nuclear as recently as 2011. The 2026 law must overcome that legacy and a generation of voters who associate atomic energy with catastrophe.

1980 – January 2024

Sweden reverses its nuclear phase-out (1980–2024)

Sweden voted in a 1980 advisory referendum to phase out nuclear power but never fully did. In 2010 it repealed the ban on new reactor construction, and in late 2023 voted to build up to 10 new reactors, targeting a major expansion.

Then

Sweden now plans one of Europe's largest nuclear expansions.

Now

The country went from a phase-out vote to a government-set target of doubling nuclear output.

Why this matters now

Sweden is the European precedent for reversing a long-standing anti-nuclear commitment, showing the path Italy is now attempting.

Sources

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ANSA Reuters via Internazionale Sky TG24 Il Sole 24 ORE il Giornale Adnkronos via Jiji Press DIRE.it Japan Today AP News Giornale di Sicilia Il Fatto Quotidiano Gazzetta del Sud Corriere della Sera Los Angeles Times Debuglies GOP (Gianni, Origoni, Grippo, Cappelli & Partners) Oenergetice.cz Il Sole 24 ORE World Nuclear News Nuclear Engineering International The Straits Times greenMe Radar Nucleare Staffetta Quotidiana Sfen Greenreport Il Foglio Confagricoltura la Repubblica AP News ANSA English ANSA