Introduction
Last Monday, June 16, Italy formally joined the European Nuclear Alliance, of which it had previously been a mere observer. Established at the initiative of France in 2023, the Alliance aims to strengthen the role of nuclear energy in the European energy transition and comprises 14 participating states. This is only the latest initiative by the Meloni government to accelerate the return to nuclear energy production in Italy: “We are delighted,” commented Environment Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, announcing the news on the sidelines of the European Energy Council in Luxembourg, “to collaborate and work actively to jointly promote the definition of a European framework favorable to the development of the entire nuclear energy value chain.” The MASE Minister added that Italy is “following a national strategy that, in a transparent and gradual manner, promotes a pragmatic reassessment of the role of nuclear energy as a decarbonized, safe, reliable, and programmable source.” But is this path actually viable? In this issue of Esplora, we will attempt to clarify whether the introduction of nuclear power into the Italian energy mix is a real opportunity to lower energy costs for Italian businesses and families, which are among the highest in Europe.
On December 11, 2023, the European Parliament adopted, with 409 votes in favor, 173 against, and 31 abstentions (out of 613 voters), the report on small nuclear reactors. The report, authored by Slovenian MEP Franc Bogovič of the European People’s Party, calls for a specific global industrial strategy for the development of small nuclear reactors in the European Union. It is on this type of technology that has reignited the national debate: these are small modular reactors with a power output between 10 and 300 MW. They have a smaller energy capacity than large nuclear power plants, but they can be assembled in factories and then shipped and installed wherever needed. The document highlights that “small modular reactors could be used, among other things, for power generation in remote areas with limited grid capacity or in areas where the use of large, traditional nuclear power plants may not be feasible.” There’s just one problem: they use nuclear fission reactions to generate heat, which then produces energy. Currently, Italian law does not allow the use of nuclear fission reactions for electricity generation. These are processes in which the nucleus of a heavy atom (such as uranium or plutonium) splits into two lighter nuclei, releasing a large amount of energy (in the form of heat), free neutrons, and radiation.
It should also be noted that Italy has a highly respected history in nuclear power, thanks to the extraordinary research work of a group of exceptional minds led by Nobel Prize-winning physicist Enrico Fermi, better known as “The Boys of Via Panisperna.” In the 1930s, on the street of the same name in Rome’s Monti district, they discovered, in 1934, “slow neutrons,” slowed down with paraffin, which were much more effective at triggering nuclear reactions. This discovery, later patented by Fermi, led to the birth of nuclear reactors and was the basis for the 1944 development of the atomic bomb, in which the Nobel Prize winner himself participated. Fermi took part in the “Manhattan Project,” led by physicist Robert Oppenheimer, in Los Alamos, USA, where he had emigrated in the meantime, fleeing racial laws. The Roman building where the “Via Panisperna Boys” gathered today houses the Enrico Fermi Historical Museum of Physics and Study and Research Center.
The 1987 and 2011 Referendums
After the Chernobyl disaster (April 26, 1986), strong popular opposition to the use of nuclear energy grew in Italy: three parties (Radicals, Greens, and PCI) promoted a referendum to limit or halt the nuclear program. On November 8 and 9, 1987, 65 percent of Italians, well above the quorum, voted in favor of repealing—80 percent voted in favor—sections of the law (Law No. 8 of January 10, 1983) that allowed state participation in nuclear programs abroad; the ability of the government to impose nuclear power plants even without the consent of the regions; and financial incentives for municipalities that accepted nuclear power plants on their territory. At that point, the then government led by Giovanni Goria (of the Christian Democrats) began the process of shutting down the plants still operating in Italy—Latina, Trino (Vercelli), and Caorso (Piacenza). The Garigliano plant (Frosinone) had already been closed in 1982—and the nuclear fuel cycle facilities, and halted construction work on the Montalto di Castro (Viterbo) and Trino 2 plants (both of which never entered operation).
