The Italian Senate approved the sustainable nuclear enabling law on September 23, 2026, with 81 votes in favor, 51 against, and 7 abstentions. Forty years after the closure of its last power plants in 1990 — a decision driven by the Chernobyl disaster and the 1987 referendum — Italy is fundamentally reshaping its relationship with nuclear energy. Environment and Energy Security Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin described September 23 as “a historic day for Italy.”
The law does not directly authorize the construction of any reactor. Instead, it grants the government 12 months to issue implementing decrees covering licensing, safety standards, spent fuel management, site selection, and location criteria, with an additional 24-month window for potential revisions. The regulatory framework follows a principle of technological neutrality: it encompasses small modular reactors (SMRs), microreactors, and fusion, while explicitly ruling out a return to large conventional plants. Pichetto Fratin has already signaled that the decrees will be ready before the end of the year.
The industrial sector did not wait for parliamentary approval. Reports indicate that Nuward/EDF, together with Edison, Ansaldo, and Maire, are targeting a first Italian plant by 2035. Newcleo is developing a liquid lead-cooled prototype and has already entered into discussions with players in the cement sector. The minister pointed to an even earlier timeline: the first reactor could be operational by 2033 or 2034. The National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan published in July 2024 estimates that nuclear could meet between 11% and 22% of Italy’s energy demand by 2050, a year in which electricity demand could nearly double to 583 terawatt-hours.
The law was backed in the Senate by the governing coalition parties — Fratelli d’Italia, Lega, and Forza Italia — joined by Azione. The Democratic Party, the Five Star Movement, and the Greens and Left Alliance voted against it; Italia Viva abstained. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the measure “a courageous and sensible choice,” emphasizing that nuclear energy strengthens energy security and reduces dependence on foreign supplies. A June 2026 survey by research firm Only Numbers found that around 55% of Italians support next-generation nuclear plants, with the highest approval rates among younger generations.
With this legislation, Italy is aligning itself with a broader European trend that has seen several countries reassess their stance on nuclear power in recent years. The swift finalization of implementing decrees will be critical: the regulatory framework is the foundation upon which industry and investors will build their decisions. If the government meets its announced schedule, Italy could emerge by the end of the decade as an active market for SMR technologies, with tangible benefits for the national industrial supply chain already involved in development programs today.
