What is this policy about?
It appears to be in line with the European sustainable development goals, which come to life from the decisions taken by, among others, Cop 26.
As a matter of fact, the intention of achieving a significant reduction in carbon dioxide emissions within a very short timeframe, which,combined with a progressive increase in the demand for electricity would not seem to be possible exclusively through the use of energy from renewable sources.
In addition, also as a result of the latest war events, there is a need at national level to review current energy policy choices, which should be oriented towards an independence from foreign supplies of gas and other raw materials.
It would therefore seem ‘inappropriate to exclude as a matter of principle the possibility of using nuclear energy to ensure the country’s full energy autonomy’.
The revival of nuclear power would involve investments in new state-of-the-art nuclear power plants, specifically, ‘fourth-generation’ technologies which include Small and Micro Modular Reactor (“SMR” and “MMR”) due to their size of around 50 m2, developed specifically for the production of electricity and heat directly within or close to energy-hungry industrial plants.
These could contribute to the decarbonisation process of Italian industry by providing energy quotas at a stable price for long periods.
The novelty would also be the use of liquid lead technollogy. This is a system that allows reactors to use waste from other nuclear power plants, eliminating the need for national geological repositories.
The research underpinning the project will be carried out with help of ENEA, Infn, CNR, Ansaldo Nucleare, Leonardo, universities and private companies, which intend to contribute to the supply of components and the provision of services for the production of the reactors.
In conclusion, by way of example and exhaustively, the main point of comittment by the current government include:
- actively participate, at European and international level, in any appropriate initiative in line with the 2050 zero-emissions target, so as to encourage the development of new nuclear tecnologies;
- the production of new-generation atomic energy whitin the European energy policy, by joining any initiative with this aim;
- put in place all useful experimental initiatives that can ensure the country’s energy security and the rapid achievemnt of the decarbonisation target mentioned above, including nuclear power as an alternative and clean source of energy production in the national energy mix;
- seek to intensify research on SMR and MMR in Italy, and to this end encourage the meeting of the best resourced in the country;
- encourage an objective information campaign on the subject, with the aim of avoiding oppositon based on mere preconceptions.