Italy’s right-wing coalition government has approved a bill for the country to return to nuclear energy. The bill approved by the Cabinet foresees a return to nuclear energy with next-generation small reactors. Following the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, nuclear power plants in the country were closed in 1990. Italy, which abandoned nuclear energy after the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, took its first concrete step today on the issue of returning to nuclear energy under the government led by Giorgia Meloni, who is seeking to reduce energy dependency. Addressing the issue of nuclear energy, Meloni shared a video message on social media after the Cabinet meeting, saying: “Today, the government has approved another important regulation to secure safe, clean, and low-cost energy for Italy to ensure energy security and strategic independence. To be clear, I am talking about nuclear energy, which we are currently asking Parliament to express their views on.” Italy’s Minister of Environment and Energy Security Gilberto Pichetto Fratin provided details on the bill proposing a return to nuclear energy at a press conference. Fratin stated that the approved bill differs from past nuclear experiences, saying, “We are approaching new-generation fusion technologies with completely different tools and departing from the logic of large-scale plants.” Fratin said that the bill aims to be implemented with regulatory processes within 12 months following parliamentary approval. Additionally, it was reported that a €3 billion financial support package for families and businesses was approved during the Cabinet meeting to address the recent increase in energy costs. Prime Minister Meloni mentioned in her video message on social media that they have allocated €3 billion to support families and businesses in combating high energy bills, with about €1.6 billion for families and €1.4 billion for businesses. In 1990, NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS WERE CLOSED Italy is one of Europe’s major economies that does not produce nuclear energy. While nuclear energy was produced and used in Italy from 1963 to 1990, following the Chernobyl disaster, a referendum held in 1987 resulted in the closure of nuclear power plants in 1990. In a referendum in 2011 aimed at lifting the ban on nuclear energy production in the country, the decision was made to continue the ban.