After 21 Years, Italy May Build Nuclear Plants Again

May 15, (EIRNS)--The worldwide resurgence of nuclear power, the clean andenergy source that is thousands of times more efficient than any existing alternative, has come to Italy. In a surprise move last week, the Industry Committee of the Italian Senate reversed a no-nuclear policy that had been in effect since 1986, and voted in favor of building nuclear power plants.

The return to sanity came in the form of a majority vote supporting two amendments to a bill (N. 691) on general liberalization of the energy market. One bill promotes research into nuclear technology. The second, calls on the government to install nuclear power plants, without specifying where--and therefore including Italy.

In the worldwide hysteria over nuclear power following the much-exaggerated 1986 accident at a, Italy had voted to shut down its then-operating nuclear plants and give up its domestic nuclear sector altogether.

The new bill marks a major shift from the past policy, which had allowed Italian state-run utilities (ENEL and ENI) to invest in nuclear research and even operate nuclear plants, but only abroad. The amendments were supported by all of the opposition and a few members from the center-left alliance, including the speaker, Sen. Antonello Cabras (DS).

The bill will be taken up next by the full Senate, where a similar cross-party vote could take place. It will be more difficult to obtain the same result in the Chamber of Deputies, where the anti-nuclear lobby has greater numbers. The whole procedure will take several weeks. In the meantime, a signal has been sent.