The establishment of an Italian state nuclear company, agreed in February by multinational power company Enel, power generation supplier Ansaldo Energia, and defence company Leonardo, has now been formally established as Nuclitalia. The company will be in charge of studying advanced technologies and analysing market opportunities in the new nuclear sector.
The stakes in the capital of Nuclitalia are held by Enel (51%), Ansaldo Energia (39%) and Leonardo (10%). The project will be overseen by the Ministry of Economy & Finance in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment & Energy and the Ministry of Enterprises with Nuclitalia as the operating arm.
Nuclitalia will be in charge of assessing the most innovative and mature designs of new sustainable nuclear power, with an initial focus on water-cooled small modular reactors (SMRs). The process will include defining specific requirements for the Italian system and selecting the most promising solutions based on in-depth technical-economic analysis. The company will also evaluate opportunities for industrial partnerships and co-design with an approach based on innovation, environmental and economic sustainability, as well as enhancing the skills of the Italian supply chain.
Nuclitalia’s shareholders have also defined the corporate offices. The Board of Directors will comprise seven members and will be chaired by Ferruccio Resta, former Rector of the Politecnico di Milano. Luca Mastrantonio, Head of Enel’s Nuclear Innovation unit, will be CEO. The five other members are Nicola Rossi (Head of Innovation at Enel Green Power and Thermal Generation) Valentina De Cesare (Executive Assistant to Enel CEO), Daniela Gentile (Ansaldo CEO), Andrea Benveduti (Ansaldo Senior Vice President Business Development), and Andrea Campora (Managing Director of Leonardo’s Cyber & Security Solutions Division).
In the coming weeks, a technical committee will also be set up with the aim of supporting Nuclitalia’s technological analysis activities. A priority will be the development of a regulatory framework for nuclear generation and arranging the finances.
Minister of the Environment and Energy Security Gilberto Pichetto Fratin noted: “I welcome any project concerning Italy’s return to the international nuclear scene and the birth of Nuclitalia is a significant step in this direction. Today, thanks to the technical and industrial skills of three large companies in our country, a new path starts to grow in research and technologies on the new sustainable nuclear power. And the delegated law will soon be in Parliament.”
Italy, in March, approved a proposal to draft laws to permit nuclear power generation, focusing on SMRs. The government aims to finalise plans and legislation by the end of 2027, in order to supplement renewable energy sources.
Italy was a leading nuclear power-producing country in the 1960s but chose to phase out all nuclear plants after a 1987 referendum following the Chornobyl disaster. It closed its last two operating plants, Caorso and Trino Vercellese, in 1990. The fourth Berlusconi government attempted to launch a new nuclear power programme but that was also rejected by a referendum in 2011, shortly after the Fukushima accident.
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 the 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 and identify opportunities for the industrial chain already operating in the sector.
The National Integrated Plan for Energy and Climate already includes scenarios in which nuclear power provides between 11% and 22% of Italy’s electricity by 2050. The government plans to allocate €20m ($20.7m) a year from 2027 to 2029 for nuclear investments.
