Italy Faces Hurdles in Nuclear Energy Revival
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Italy Faces Hurdles in Nuclear Energy Revival
- Italy's average household electricity rate from 2023 to 2025 was $0.417 per kWh, 3.3 times more expensive than South Korea's.
- The country phased out its domestic nuclear power generation after referendums in 1987 and 2011, yet currently imports about 5% of its electricity from nuclear sources abroad.
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Italy is exploring a return to nuclear energy decades after phasing out its domestic program, driven by high electricity prices and a desire to reduce reliance on imported energy. The country shut down its last operating reactors by 1990 following a 1987 referendum and reaffirmed this decision in a 2011 vote after the Fukushima accident. Despite the phase-out, Italy remains dependent on energy imports, including electricity from nuclear-powered France and Switzerland, and natural gas from other nations.
The current government, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, is pushing to reintroduce nuclear power, aiming for it to contribute between 11% and 22% of national electricity demand by 2050. However, this ambition faces significant challenges. The development of new nuclear power plants, including advanced designs like Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and Generation IV reactors, involves substantial upfront costs. [cite: 2, 6, 7, 8,