government

Italy

Electricity consumption in Italy in 2005 was 330 billion kWh, giving per capita consumption of 5640 kWh/yr. In 2006 local production from 81 GWe of plant was 315 billion kWh gross, 50% from gas, 15% from oil, 16% from coal and 14% from hydro.  Imports of 50.3 billion kWh (effectively, some 15% of its needs) are required, mostly nuclear power from France .  This is equivalent to output from about 7 GWe of capacity at 80%.

Due to the high reliance on oil and gas, as well as imports, Italy’s electricity prices are 45% above EU average.

Italy today is now the only G8 country without its own nuclear power, and is the world’s largest net importer of electricity.

However, Italy was a pioneer of civil nuclear power and built several reactors which operated 1963-90. But following a referendum in November 1987, provoked by the Chernobyl accident 18 months earlier, work on the nuclear program was largely stopped. In 1988 the government resolved to halt all nuclear construction, shut the remaining reactors and decommission them from 1990. Italy then remained largely inactive in nuclear energy for 15 years.

In 2004 a new Energy Law opened up the possibility of joint venture with foreign companies in relation to nuclear power plants and importing electricity from them. This resulted from a clear change in public opinion, especially among younger people favouring nuclear power for Italy.

In 2005 Electricite de France and Enel signed a co-operation agreement which gives Enel some 200 MWe from the new Flamanville-3 EPR nuclear reactor (1700 MWe) in France, and potentially another 1000 MWe or so from the next five such units built.  As well as the 12.5% share, Italy’s electric utility Enel will also be involved in design, construction and operation of the plants, which will enhance Italy’s power security and improve its economics.  A major benefit will be in rebuilding Italy’s nuclear skills and competence. Enel is expected to pay about EUR 350 million for its share in the project.  Enel subsequently announced it was taking a 12.5% share in the second EPR being constructed in France, at Penly.

Enel has also bought 66% of the Slovak Electric utility which operates six nuclear power reactors, and Enel’s investment plan for SE approved in 2005 by the Slovak government includes EUR 1.6 billion for completion of Mochovce nuclear power plant - 942 MWe gross - by 2011-12.  Enel then took its equity in Spain’s Endesa, which has a major stake in three nuclear reactors, to 92% in February 2009.

In May 2008 the new Italian government confirmed that it will commence building new nuclear power plants within five years, to reduce the county’s great dependence on oil, gas and imported power.  It will work towards having 25% of its electricity from nuclear power by 2030, which will require 8 to 10 large new reactors by then.  The government introduced a package of nuclear legislation, including measures to set up a national nuclear research and development entity, to expedite licensing of new reactors at existing nuclear power plant sites, and to facilitate licensing of new reactor sites.  Enel plans to build new reactors at one of three licensed sites: Garigliano, Latina, or Montalto di Castro.  The first two had small early-model reactors operating to 1982 and 1987.  At Montalto di Castro two larger reactors were almost complete when the country’s November 1987 referendum halted construction.

In January 2011 the Constitutional Court ruled that Italy could hold a referendum on the planned re-introduction of nuclear power, as proposed by an opposition party. The question to be posed in the referendum, due to be held between mid April and mid June, is whether voters want to cancel some 70 legislative and regulatory measures which have been taken by the government over three years to make it possible to build new nuclear power plants. It would not affect plans for a waste repository. In November 2010 the Constitutional Court had struck down a bid by three regions to ban nuclear plants from their territory due to strong public opposition.

Several research reactors are operating, including AGN Constanza (since 1960), Uni of Pavia’s LENA Triga II (250 kW, since 1965), ENEA’s Tapiro (5 kW, since 1971), ENEA’s Triga RC-1 (1 MW, since 1960) and a subcritical assembly.

Ansaldo Nucleare, which in conjunction with Canada’s AECL, built Cernavoda 2 in Romania, is also involved with international R&D on new reactor systems. Read more at www.world-nuclear.org