Initiative launched to bolster Italian nuclear supply chain

The initiative is primarily aimed at companies that are not currently active in the nuclear sector but possess transferable industrial capabilities, with the goal of expanding and strengthening the national industrial base.

The project includes preliminary assessments, gap analyses against international standards, and upgrade pathways to access the nuclear market. RINA will support companies throughout the certification and qualification process, while Ansaldo Energia will provide its industrial expertise in the sector, sharing market requirements and promoting initiatives to support certification processes through financial backing from institutions and public instruments for internationalisation and industrial development.

Companies interested in joining the initiative can find further information on the websites of RINA and Ansaldo Energia.

"Strengthening the country's industrial capacity is an essential step to enable Italian companies to seize the opportunities of a rapidly growing nuclear market," said Ansaldo Energia CEO Fabrizio Fabbri. "We are pleased to launch this initiative together with a leading partner such as RINA, building on other initiatives already undertaken by Ansaldo Energia, such as the recent agreement with SIMEST, aimed at supporting the growth and internationalisation of the supply chain."

Carlo Luzzatto, CEO and General Manager of RINA, added: "The renewed global momentum behind nuclear energy is creating significant new opportunities for Italy's industrial sector. Through this initiative, we aim to support companies on a structured qualification pathway, enabling them to progressively develop the capabilities and meet the requirements needed to operate in an industry defined by the highest regulatory, technological, and safety standards. By combining RINA's expertise with Ansaldo Energia's extensive industrial experience, we will help strengthen the competitiveness of Italy's nuclear supply chain and enhance its ability to capitalise on the opportunities arising from both national and international nuclear programmes."

"The Italian Nuclear Association expresses its strong appreciation and full support for this initiative, which is of fundamental importance to strengthen and coordinate a national nuclear supply chain that can already rely on expertise and industrial capabilities developed also through significant projects abroad," said Stefano Monti, Chairman of the Italian Nuclear Association. "This represents a strategic asset that must now be further expanded and consolidated, to respond effectively both to the numerous opportunities offered by new international projects and to the demanding nuclear programme that will be launched in our country in the coming months."

Nuclear power in Italy

Italy operated a total of four nuclear power plants starting in the early 1960s but decided to phase out nuclear power in a referendum that followed the 1986 Chernobyl accident. It closed its last two operating plants, Caorso and Trino Vercellese, in 1990.

In late March 2011, following the Fukushima Daiichi accident, the Italian government approved a moratorium of at least one year on construction of nuclear power plants in the country, which had been looking to restart its long-abandoned nuclear programme. In a poll held in June of that year, 94% of voters rejected the construction of any new nuclear reactors in Italy.

Since then, public opinion has become more favourable towards nuclear energy in the country and in May 2023, the Italian Parliament approved a motion to urge the government to consider incorporating nuclear power into the country's energy mix. In September of that year, the first meeting was held of the National Platform for Sustainable Nuclear Power, set up by the government to define a time frame for the possible resumption of nuclear energy in Italy and identify opportunities for the country's industrial chain already operating in the sector.

In October last year, Italy's Council of Ministers, at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, approved for final consideration a bill delegating responsibility for the reintroduction of nuclear energy in the country to the government. The bill empowers the government to comprehensively regulate the introduction of 'sustainable' nuclear power, within the framework of European decarbonisation policies by 2050 and energy security objectives. The mandate includes, among other things, the development of a National Programme for Sustainable Nuclear Power, the establishment of an independent Nuclear Safety Authority, the strengthening of scientific and industrial research, the development of new skills, and the implementation of information and awareness campaigns.

Last month, Italy's lower house of parliament, the Chamber of Deputies, approved the bill presented by Meloni's government paving the way for the country's return to the use of nuclear energy.

The bill will now be voted on in the upper house, the Senate. The implementing legislative decrees must be adopted within 12 months of the law's entry into force.