Italian Senate passes enabling law to reintroduce nuclear power after 40-year ban

Legislative approval and regulatory scope

On 23 September 2026, the Italian Senate granted final approval to an enabling bill that establishes a legal framework for the return of nuclear power generation. The measure passed the upper house with 81 votes in favour, 51 against, and seven abstentions, following its passage in the Chamber of Deputies in June. Under the legislation drafted by Environment and Energy Security Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, the government has 12 months to issue formal implementing decrees. These decrees will govern plant construction, licensing, reactor operations, the production of hydrogen via nuclear energy, radioactive waste management, and the establishment of an independent regulatory authority.

In favour81

Against51

Abstentions7

In favour

81 votes

Against

51 votes

Abstentions

7 votes

Data from the article text

Government objectives and economic projections

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni defended the decision as a necessary step to reduce dependency on electricity imports from neighbouring countries such as France. Italian authorities estimate that securing an 11% share of nuclear power in the national energy mix could yield 17 billion euros in decarbonisation savings by 2050, with the national energy and climate plan projecting a potential share of up to 22%. Pichetto Fratin noted that Italian electricity demand is projected to expand by 100 to 150 billion kilowatt-hours by 2040 due to data centres and building efficiency programmes. The minister also stated that 60 million euros allocated in the bill will fund initial public information campaigns rather than reactor construction.

“Today Parliament definitively approved the nuclear law. After almost forty years, Italy once again has a regulatory framework to produce nuclear energy. A courageous and common-sense choice. Today we import electricity produced by nuclear power plants of neighbouring nations, but we cannot produce it ourselves. This law serves to change things.”

Technological focus and corporate research

The legislation adheres to technological neutrality, leaving specific reactor selections to subsequent decrees based on safety and maturity criteria. Italy intends to focus on small modular reactors (SMRs), advanced modular reactors (AMRs), microreactors, and nuclear fusion rather than older generation facilities. SMRs under consideration feature factory-built components producing between 100 and 400 megawatts per unit. To evaluate technical pathways and market opportunities, state-backed entities formed the Nuclitalia consortium last year, combining the industrial capabilities of three domestic firms. Pichetto Fratin noted that private investors, particularly operators of power-intensive data centres, have expressed readiness to fund modular reactor installations without direct state capital.

Enel51%

Ansaldo Energia39%

Leonardo10%

Enel

51 %

Ansaldo Energia

39 %

Leonardo

10 %

Data from the article text

Opposition response and public division

The legislative vote follows decades of prohibition initiated by the 1987 national referendum after the Chernobyl disaster, followed by a second rejection in a 2011 ballot. Centre-left and opposition parties, including the Five Star Movement and the Greens and Left Alliance, voted against the bill and questioned long-term waste disposal plans. Opposition lawmakers urged the government to restrict any future construction strictly to already developed or degraded industrial brownfield sites. Public opinion remains split on the issue; a Demopolis poll conducted in June found that 51% of Italians supported reviving nuclear energy, yet a majority opposed hosting a facility within their local municipality.

“Any new plants should be located primarily in areas that are already developed, degraded or affected by decommissioned industrial activities, without consuming additional land.”