Italians Say 'No' to Nuclear Power Revival

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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Plans to revive nuclear power in Italy look dead in the water following a weekend referendum in which very high numbers of Italians came out against the technology.

Preliminary results from the referendum, which addressed numerous issues as well as nuclear, show that the required 50% quorum was exceeded, with early exit polls indicating an overwhelming 'No' vote against building new nuclear plants. Despite the lack of final figures, beleaguered Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlesconi, whose government is pro-nuclear and which reversed the previous ban on nuclear power, accepted that nuclear power is no longer an option.

"Following the decision the Italian people are taking at this moment, we must probably say goodbye to the possibility of nuclear power stations and we must strongly commit ourselves to renewable energy," he told reporters.

The vote calls time on the ambitious plans of national power utility Enel SpA (BIT:ENEL) (Rome, Italy), which planned to build four 1,600-MW nuclear plants with the help of France's Electricite de France S.A. (EPA:EDF) (EDF) (Paris, France). For more information, see March 2, 2009, article - EDF and Enel Plan Four Nuclear Power Plants in Italy.

Italy's reversal on nuclear power can be laid directly at the feet of the devastating Japanese earthquake and tsunami of March 11, which triggered a series of disasters at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. Italy has become the latest European country to pull the plug on its return to nuclear power. Last month, Germany executed the most dramatic U-turn on nuclear power by announcing plans to shut all 17 of its reactors before 2022, while Switzerland has scrapped plans to build new nuclear plants and published a timetable to shut down its five reactors by 2034. For additional information, see May 30, 2011, article - Germany Votes to Dump Nuclear Power and May 27, 2011, article - Switzerland Calls Time on Nuclear Power.

The Italian government had hoped to avoid a referendum in the wake of the ongoing Japanese nuclear disaster by postponing all nuclear development 'indefinitely,' in the hope that anti-nuclear sentiment would die down in a few years. For additional information, see April 25, 2011, article - Italy Pulls Plug on Nuclear Power 'Indefinitely'. Renewable energy projects are expected to receive a major boost from the rejection of nuclear power.

This is the second time that Italy has voted against nuclear power. In 1987, the Italian government was forced to stop its planned nuclear programme following a referendum in the wake of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986.

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