Italy - World Nuclear Outlook Report

Projection of future nuclear capacity in Italy in 2050

Italy operated a total of four nuclear power plants starting in the early 1960s but decided to phase out nuclear power in a referendum that followed the 1986 Chernobyl accident. It closed its last two operating plants, Caorso and Trino Vercellese, in 1990.

In March 2023, the Italian Chamber of Deputies’ Environment Committee decided to conduct a fact-finding study on the role of nuclear energy in guiding Italy through the energy transition, to achieve decarbonization by 2030 and climate neutrality by 2050.²⁰⁸

Italy's government included potential new nuclear capacity in its National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan, which was submitted to the European Commission on 1 July 2024. Referring to the Plan, the country’s Minister for Environment and Energy Security said: “We expect to be able to reach about 8 GWe from nuclear power by 2050, covering more than 10% of the nation's electricity demand. This percentage may increase to over 20-22% (16 GWe) by fully exploiting the potential of nuclear power in our country."²⁰⁹

In October 2025 the Council of Ministers introduced a draft bill delegating responsibility to the government for the reintroduction of nuclear energy.²¹⁰