en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Italian Chamber of Deputies (lower house) recently approved a bill proposed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government, paving the way for the country to reintroduce nuclear energy. The bill passed with 155 votes in favor, 86 against, and 8 abstentions, and has now been submitted to the Senate for review. The government expects the Senate to give final approval before the summer recess at the end of July. Implementing regulations must be adopted within 12 months after the law takes effect.

The bill authorizes the government to fully regulate the introduction of "sustainable" nuclear power within the framework of European decarbonization policies and energy security goals by 2050. Responsibilities include formulating a national sustainable nuclear power plan, establishing an independent nuclear safety authority, strengthening scientific and industrial research, cultivating new skills, and carrying out information campaigns and awareness-raising activities.

Italy began operating four nuclear power plants in the early 1960s, but after the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, a national referendum decided to phase out nuclear power, and the last two plants—Caorso and Trino Vercellese—were closed in 1990. Following the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011, the Italian government approved a moratorium on the construction of new nuclear plants for at least one year. A poll in June of the same year showed that 94% of voters opposed the construction of any new nuclear reactors.

Since then, Italian public opinion on nuclear energy has gradually shifted. In May 2023, parliament passed a motion urging the government to consider including nuclear energy in the national energy mix. In September of the same year, the government-established "National Sustainable Nuclear Energy Platform" held its first meeting, aiming to set a timeline for restarting nuclear power. Last October, the Council of Ministers, chaired by Meloni, approved the draft bill for final review.

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