ROME — Italy’s Senate on Wednesday granted final approval to legislation opening the way for a return to nuclear power, nearly four decades after the Chernobyl disaster prompted the country to abandon atomic energy.
The measure passed the upper house by 81 votes to 51, with seven lawmakers abstaining. It represents a significant advance in Premier Giorgia Meloni’s campaign to strengthen Italy’s energy security and meet its climate commitments, although any new reactors remain years away.
After earlier approval from the Chamber of Deputies, the bill established a legal framework for next-generation nuclear technologies. It directs the government to prepare implementing decrees within 12 months on reactor licensing, safety requirements, radioactive-waste management and criteria for selecting future sites.
The vote sets Italy on course to reconsider nuclear energy after voters rejected it in national referendums in 1987, shortly after the Chernobyl disaster, and again in 2011 following Japan’s Fukushima accident.
Meloni’s government says growing electricity demand, the need to meet climate targets and vulnerabilities exposed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine justify restoring nuclear power to the country’s energy mix.
Rather than pursuing the large reactors used in the past, the government is concentrating on small modular reactors, or SMRs, and other advanced technologies that supporters argue could offer greater safety, flexibility and faster construction times.
The legislation does not approve the construction of any reactors. It instead creates the regulatory basis under which future projects could be proposed, evaluated and authorized.
Italy was once a European pioneer in nuclear power, operating four reactors before a 1987 referendum effectively ended its program. Since then, the country has depended heavily on imported energy and has become one of Europe’s largest buyers of electricity generated by nuclear facilities in neighboring countries.
The government warns that electricity demand could increase sharply as homes, businesses and transport systems become more electrified, while data centers and other energy-intensive technologies continue to expand.
Italy’s decision reflects a wider European discussion about whether nuclear power can help cut carbon emissions and reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels. France, Poland and other countries are investing in new nuclear capacity or planning substantial expansions.
Public opinion in Italy appears to be changing. A June 2026 survey by research firm Only Numbers found that approximately 55% of Italians support next-generation nuclear plants, with the strongest backing among younger people who have no direct memories of Chernobyl.
Despite that shift, major hurdles remain before Italy could operate any new reactors.
Italy still has no permanent national repository for radioactive waste from its former nuclear program, leaving materials in temporary facilities across the country. Future reactor and waste-storage sites are also likely to encounter local opposition.
Energy analysts have raised doubts about nuclear power’s economics, citing high construction costs and the absence of commercially proven SMRs operating at scale in Europe. Industry estimates put the cost of one 300-megawatt SMR at between 3 billion and 6 billion euros, or $3.5 billion and $7 billion, before additional infrastructure and grid-related expenses.
Michele Governatori, a senior energy adviser at the climate and energy think tank ECCO, welcomed the creation of a regulatory framework but said the process would likely reveal limited private-sector interest in new nuclear projects.
“Having a regulatory framework in place is positive, but it will also make clear the limited interest of private investors in technologies that are either not competitive today or not yet ready, such as SMRs,” he said.
Governatori said Italy should prioritize measures already available to lower energy costs and reduce fossil-fuel dependence, including electrification, energy efficiency, renewable power, storage capacity and upgrades to the electricity grid.
Environmental organizations and opposition parties have already opposed the government’s plans and may challenge specific reactor and waste-storage projects if they are proposed.
