Rome, Republic of Italy (Weltexpress). Last week, members of the Senate in Rome passed a bill establishing the regulatory framework for the construction of nuclear power stations by 81 votes to 51, with seven abstentions. Members of the Chamber of Deputies had previously voted in favour by a majority. However, no decision has yet been taken or announced regarding the construction of even a single nuclear power station.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government now has the next twelve months to draft regulations addressing issues such as siting, safety and the disposal of nuclear waste. It appears that the Meloni government is not focusing on a small number of large nuclear power stations, but rather on so-called ‘small modular reactors’, colloquially referred to as mini-nuclear power stations. Parts of these nuclear power stations, which have significantly lower output, are to be mass-produced in factories and assembled on site. Where necessary, it should be possible to build two, three or more nuclear power stations with passive safety systems for cooling fuel rods in a single location – in any case, wherever the electricity is needed.
In any event, the Italian Republic will not return to the world’s ‘nuclear club’ under its own steam. The necessary skills and expertise are lacking. However, this also applies to cheap electricity, which is in short supply. Consequently, any government in Rome will have to dig deep into its citizens’ pockets and will probably have to take on further debt in order to supply the remnants of the energy-intensive industry in the north of the Apennine Peninsula with cheap electricity, before these too are forced to shut down because competitors in other countries are producing better and cheaper products.
