A regulatory framework and complete regulatory framework for the reintroduction of nuclear power plants in Italy by the end of the current Government’s legislature: this is the objective declared by the Minister of the Environment and Energy Security Gilberto Pichetto Fratinreturning from G7 Environment, Climate and Energy in which there was a lot of talk, among other things, about nuclear energy, who in an intervention on Radio24 also explained that the Government intends to focus not on large 3rd generation power plants but on the installation of reactors SMR (Small Modular Reactorsmodular mini-nuclear reactors) of 4th generation in Italian territory «within 2033» for use in public and private settings.
All this means that Will nuclear energy return to Italy? We can’t know. What we know is that at the moment the Government has the will to do it. A will that currently clashes with two major questions still unresolved.
What are the Government’s objectives for the return of nuclear power to Italy
On 27 April Minister Pichetto Fratin appointed the jurist Giovanni Guzzetta to start a working group to launch a new regulatory framework on Italian nuclear power. After the 1987 referendum which rejected nuclear power, in fact, in our country there are no longer any rules and regulations regarding the authorizations of plants, their management and their safety.
The Government would be in contact with Newcleoan Italian company that works on 4th generation SMR reactors, in particular the reactor LFR-AS-200 from 200MW liquid lead cooled, which could be ready for the 2033. In order for operations on Italian soil to be possible, however, an ad hoc redesigned legal framework is necessary, which is precisely the aim of the Government.
Italian public opinion: what the latest SWG survey says
The first major unresolved issue linked to nuclear power in Italy is thepublic opinion, which is notoriously very divided. Our compatriots declared themselves against nuclear power in two specific referendums, in 1987 It is in the 2011. However, in both cases we were talking about large 3rd generation nuclear power plants, while the Government is aiming for small 4th generation reactors.
Here it is worth clarifying what exactly we are talking about, because there is a lot of confusion: when we talk about nuclear plants we must not confuse the generation and the cut, which are two different things. For example, SMR reactors are small in size, but not necessarily 4th generation. We can therefore have 3rd generation and 4th generation SMRs, as well as large 3rd generation and 4th generation systems. Today nuclear power in the world is based mainly on 3rd generation and large-scale plants, which are the ones that Italians have historically declared themselves against.
If we talk about new generation nuclear power, however, the company’s latest survey SWG specialized in surveys presented on 15 April and shows that the 51% of Italians at this moment would vote “Yes” in a hypothetical referendum for the construction of 4th generation power plants, against a 26% who would vote “No”. In particular, 24% declare «I would definitely vote for» and 27% «I think I would vote for», while 10% declare «I think I would vote against» and 16% «I would definitely vote against». The survey also shows that about half of those surveyed against nuclear power might change their minds if faced with the possible benefits. Regarding the question of NIMBYi.e. the tendency to reject power plants if built close to one’s home, the survey shows that SMR ballasts are more accepted of large plants (44% versus 39% respectively for a reactor less than 20 km from the home).
It should be remembered however that at the moment there are no 4th generation SMRs available on the marketwhile 3rd generation SMRs are already a commercial reality.
The site for the National Radioactive Waste Repository
Another problem for the construction of nuclear plants in Italy is the absence of a National Repository for radioactive waste, mainly due to waste and protests by the population. Minister Pichetto Fratin stated that he intends to identify a suitable site for the storage of waste by the end of the legislature.
To do this, the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security published the National Map of Eligible Areas (CNAI), a list of 51 possible sites identified by Sogin in 6 Regions (Lazio, Basilicata, Puglia, Piedmont, Sicily and Sardinia) for the construction of a national repository for waste from former Italian nuclear power plants and waste produced by research and medicine. However, the choice of a site is proving to be particularly complex, especially for popular oppositions.
The need for a National Repository is made increasingly urgent regardless of Italy’s possible return to nuclear power, because the Italian radioactive waste produced by the former power plants and currently stored in England will return to our country in 2025therefore it will be necessary to have a place to store them to avoid incurring very substantial fines by the European Union.
