The return of nuclear power to the center of the Italian legislative agenda is good news. Although this is the first step in a long journey from which the current protagonists of the political scene will not be the ones to reap any electoral benefits. The speech of the Minister of the Environment, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, before the joint Environment and Productive Activities commissions of the Chamber reignites a discussion of vital importance for the Italian energy future.

What the minister envisaged is not an imposing return, characterized by large power plants like those of the old generation, but a strategic and technologically advanced integration, based on small modular reactors (SMR) and fourth generation reactors (AMR). A return which, according to the minister’s words, could allow savings of at least 17 billion euros, reducing dependence on fossil fuels and significantly contributing to the energy transition.

A divisive topic

Nuclear energy has long been a divisive issue in our country, especially after the 1987 referendum, which sanctioned its abandonment. However, the global energy context has changed profoundly in recent years. The growing pressure to reduce carbon emissions and the need to guarantee energy security in an increasingly unstable international context require the search for solutions that can guarantee high levels of sustainability and security. Russia’s war against Ukraine then uncovered a pot full of Moscow gas that supplied all of Europe and represented a weapon of great political influence.

The government plan

The choice not to focus on large plants, but on modular technologies such as SMRs and microreactors, shows a more pragmatic and, in some ways, safer approach. Small modular reactors offer significant advantages in terms of flexibility and cost, reducing construction times and minimizing the risks associated with large power plants. In particular, new generation reactors, combined with advanced fuel cycle management technologies, could solve one of the historical problems of nuclear power: waste management and closing the life cycle of nuclear fuel.

The establishment of the “National Platform for Sustainable Nuclear Energy” represents an important step to involve all the key players in the sector – from companies to universities, up to research institutes – in a process of sharing knowledge and skills. This initiative is all the more significant because it aims to create an objective base of data and technical evaluations, laying the foundations for a public debate based on scientific evidence rather than on political preconceptions and ideological battles.

The waste problem

However, we cannot ignore that the issue of nuclear waste, and in particular the national repository, remains one of the most complex obstacles. The minister clarified that it will still take several years before Italy has an operational national warehouse, with authorization expected by 2029 and commissioning no earlier than 2039. In the meantime, the country will continue to temporarily manage approximately 31 thousand cubic meters of radioactive waste in sites scattered throughout the national territory, many of which require urgent modernization.

This point should not be underestimated: the safe and effective management of waste is a viaticum for broadening the consensus base on the relaunch of nuclear power. Woe betide, however, if we think of nuclear power as the only solution to all ills. Facts have repeatedly shown that without a mix of sources, the problem cannot be solved and the energy transition remains a mirage.

Nuclear should act in support of the full deployment of renewable sources, not in conflict with them. The real issue, however, remains that of timing. The framework outlined by the minister fits into a time horizon of at least 15 years, too long to respond to the immediate needs of emissions reduction and energy independence; but it is also true that until you start, the time to reach your goal will always be too long to undertake a path that requires courage, determination and foresight. In a word, leadership.