Italian parliament votes for return to nuclear energy

ROME (AP) – Italy's Senate on Wednesday offered final approval to legislation paving the way for a return to nuclear power almost four decades after the Chernobyl disaster prompted the country to abandon atomic energy.

What happened

In practice, the measure cleared the upper house 81-51 with seven abstentions. It marks a major step in Premier Giorgia Meloni's drive to bolster energy security and meet climate goals, even though the construction of feasible new reactors is still years away.

In practice, the bill, which earlier passed the lower Chamber of Deputies, establishes a legal framework for next-generation nuclear technologies. It authorizes the administration to draft implementing decrees over the next 12 months covering reactor licensing, safety standards, waste management and criteria for future sites.

For context, the vote puts Italy on a path toward reintroducing nuclear power after voters twice rejected it in national referendums, first in the aftermath of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster and again after Japan's Fukushima accident in 2011.

The bottom line

In short, italian parliament votes for return to nuclear energy is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.