Italian environment and energy minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin has claimed nuclear energy could lead to a big reduction in electricity bills for Italians: up to 40 per cent.
Speaking on Italian broadcaster Canale 5 show Mattino Cinque on March 6, he explained why he believed the adoption of new nuclear technologies could profoundly affect energy costs.
He claimed the use of nuclear energy could lead to major cuts from the current prices.
“The researchers’ prediction is that this strategy could reduce energy costs by 30-40 per cent,” he said.
Fratin stressed that avoiding accidents was paramount.
“Safety is a fundamental fact… there are all a series of actions to be carried out,” he said.
“On one hand, approving the bill as a framework law delegation, and on the other, implementing a series of measures to ensure safety: Defining the technical specifications of the plants, establishing certification processes, creating a certification and oversight body—there are multiple actions aimed specifically at guaranteeing security,” the minister said.
Fratin added that energy in Italy could not fall to the low French levels, where there were 50 nuclear power plants, but said it could get closer to Spain, which has five plants.
He did remain open, though, to other possibilities. “If other cheaper technologies emerge, then we will not build the reactors,” he said.
Under the Georgia Meloni government, Italy has been working to build a legal framework for the deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs).
The country was among the few nations in the world to have completely abandoned nuclear power, in 1990, after having used it since the 1960s.
Now, in search of clean, emission-free and reliable energy production, it has been looking to return to nuclear power by the end of the current legislative term.
The Italian Government recently approved the so-called Bills Decree — a strategic measure aimed at mitigating the impact of rising energy costs on Italian businesses.
This decree introduced measures to support businesses and prevent soaring energy costs from further harming the country’s competitiveness.
Simultaneously, an enabling law for sustainable nuclear power was approved, creating a regulatory framework for the adoption of new nuclear technologies.
With this law, Italy has laid the groundwork for modern, safe nuclear plants, prioritising advanced solutions that meet the highest safety and environmental sustainability standards.
Belgium has officially become a member of the European Alliance for Nuclear Energy, reversing more than two decades of anti-nuclear policy that began in the 1990s. https://t.co/WWNPbiXDUV
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) February 26, 2025
