Italy could re-introduce nuclear power as part of efforts towards the European Union's goal of being the world's first climate-neutral continent by 2050, foreign minister Antonio Tajani said ahead of a pioneering global Nuclear Energy Summit in Brussels on Thursday.
"The government has began a process to assess whether we should resume the use of nuclear energy in Italy, also to achieve the 2050 decarbonization targets and boost the security and sustainability of energy supplies," Tajani stated.
The development of technologies with low environmental impact and high safety and sustainability standards are among initiatives the government is encouraging, Tajani said.
"We are looking especially at new sustainable nuclear technologies," he underlined.
"Italy boasts globally recognized excellence in the sector, both at industrial level and in the field of scientific research - despite not having an operational nuclear programme since 1987," Tajani said.
A nuclear energy "pioneer", Italy "has never stopped being an important international player in the nuclear sector" despite closing all its plants by 1990 after a 1987 referendum, Tajani noted.
Italy boasts "industrial excellence that supplies high-level expertise, technology and services around the world," he said.
"We excel in various areas of research, especially in the development of nuclear fusion," Tajani underlined.
Tajani is attending the Brussels summit with heads of state and government. The summit is being organised by the Belgian government, the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Italy's permanent diplomatic representation at the EU.
