Information Papers

Nuclear Power in Italy

(November 2008)

Electricity supplied in Italy in 2005 was 330 billion kWh, giving per capita consumption of 5640 kWh/yr.

In 2006 local production from 81 GWe of plant was 315 billion kWh gross, 49% from gas, 15% from oil, 16% from coal and 14% from hydro.  Imports of 50.3 billion kWh (effectively, some 15% of its needs) are required, mostly nuclear power from France*.  This is equivalent to output from about 7 GWe of capacity at 80%.

* More than half comes immediately from Switzerland - 26 TWh in 2005, which imports much of it - 29 TWh in 2006, from France and Germany.
ENEL (originally Italian Electricity Generation Board) is responsible for electricity production and transmission. In 1992 it became ENEL SpA, a joint stock company, and in 1999 40% of its shares went public. Also generating subsidiaries were formed and sold off with the aim of limiting ENEL's share of the market to 50%. Due to the high reliance on oil and gas, as well as imports, Italy's electricity prices are 45% above EU average.

Italy today is now the only G8 country without its own nuclear power, and is the world's largest net importer of electricity.

In May 2008 the new Italian government confirmed that it will commence building new nuclear power plants within five years, to reduce the county's great dependence on oil, gas and imported power.  It will work towards having 25% of its electricity from nuclear power by 2030, which will require 8 to 10 large new reactors by then.  The government introduced a package of nuclear legislation, including measures to set up a national nuclear research and development entity, to expedite licensing of new reactors at existing nuclear power plant sites, and to facilitate licensing of new reactor sites.  ENEL plans to build new reactors at one of three licensed sites: Garigliano, Latina, or Montalto di Castro.  The first two had small early-model reactors operating to 1982 and 1987.  At Montalto di Castro two larger reactors were almost complete when the country's November 1987 referendum halted construction.

Italy's phase out of nuclear energy following the 1987 referendum has had major costs to the whole economy.   The Minister of Economic Development in October 2008 put the figure for this "terrible mistake" at some EUR 50 billion.  He said the government was "relaunching" nuclear energy, beginning with legislation to create the needed infrastructure and empower the government to propose incentives to communities which accept nuclear plants. Italy will expedite this renaissance by adopting an already-licensed reactor design, and will involve Italian industry as much as possible.  The minister pointed out that electricity prices in Italy are 30% higher than the EU average and 60% higher than in France.

Nuclear industry development

Italy was a pioneer of civil nuclear power and in 1946 established the first scientific body to pursue this. In 1952 it established an agency to develop and promote nuclear power, and this was reorganised in 1960 to become CNEN (National committee for nuclear energy).

Construction of the first civil reactor - a British Magnox unit - began in 1958, and the following year construction of the first GE boiling water reactor commenced. In 1961 the first Westinghouse pressurised water reactor began building.

Italy's power reactors

Reactors Model Net MWe Power
Latina GCR 153 1963-87
Garigliano BWR 150 1964-78
Trino Vercellese PWR 260 1964-87
Caorso BWR 860 1978-86
Montalto di Castro 1 & 2 BWR 982 each -
Total operated (4) 1423 MWe

In 1966 ENEL announced an ambitious program of nuclear plant construction, aiming for 12,000 MWe by 1980. Following this, ANSALDO was set up to supply nuclear components, both local and imported.

In 1967 CNEN and ENEL started developing an Italian version of the Candu reactor, with heavy water moderation but light water cooling, called CIRENE. In 1972 an order was placed with ANSALDO to build a 40 MWe prototype, but this was not finished until 1988 due to technical problems.

In 1973 ENEL took a 33% share of the Super Phenix fast breeder reactor being built in France.

Following a referendum in November 1987, provoked by the Chernobyl accident 18 months earlier, work on the nuclear program was largely stopped. In 1988 the government resolved to halt all nuclear construction, shut the remaining reactors and decommission them from 1990. As well as the operating plants, two new nuclear BWR plants were almost complete and six locally-designed PWR plants were planned. ENEA (formerly CNEN) also closed various fuel cycle facilities, including a fuel fabrication plant at Bosco Marengo.

Despite its previously high level of activity and expertise, Italy remained largely inactive in nuclear energy for 15 years.

In 1999 SOGIN (Societa Gestione Impianti Nucleari) was set up as a state-owned enterprise to take over all ENEL's and ENEA's nuclear assets and be responsible for decommissioning them.  It was also to take responsibility for all nuclear wastes.

In 2004 a new Energy Law opened up the possibility of joint venture with foreign companies in relation to nuclear power plants and importing electricity from them.

This resulted from a clear change in public opinion, especially among younger people favouring nuclear power for Italy.

In 2005 Electricité de France and ENEL signed a memorandum of understanding to give ENEL some 200 MWe from the new Flamanville-3 EPR nuclear reactor (1650 MWe) in France, and potentially another 1000 MWe or so from the next five such units built.  As well as the 12.5% share, ENEL was also to be involved in design, construction and operation of the plants, which would enhance Italy's power security and improve its economics.  A major benefit would be in rebuilding Italy's nuclear skills and competence.  However, early in 2007 EdF backed away from this agreement and said it would build Flamanville 3 on its own and take all the output.  Nevertheless, in November 2007 an agreement was signed confirming the 12.5% ENEL investment in Flamanville - expected to cost EUR 450 million - plus the same share of another five such plants.  The agreement also gives EdF an option to participate in construction and operation of future ENEL nuclear power plants in Italy or elsewhere in Europe and the Mediterranean.

In 2004 ENEL bought 66% of Slovenske Electrarne (SE) with its four VVER 440/V213 Bohunice and Mochovce reactors there. ENEL's subsequent investment plan approved in 2005 involves EUR 1.88 billion investment to increase SE generating capacity, including EUR 1.6 billion for completion of Mochovce units 3 & 4 - 942 MWe gross - by 2011-12.

In October 2007 Italy became the 17th member of the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) which is developing new nuclear fuel cycle technologies to improve proliferation resistance while increasing recycling and reducing wastes.

In 2008 Energy Lab, described as a think tank and involving major utilities, began a feasibility study on building four new nuclear power plants in Italy.

A public opinion poll in July 2008 (N=800) found that 54% supported nuclear power in Italy while 36% opposed it (compared with 82% opposition in 2007).  The poll also found that 83% were opposed to Italy building new nuclear power plants for itself in neighbouring countries, while 11% thought it was a good idea.

Fuel cycle

In 1973 Italy joined the Eurodif consortium building a large diffusion enrichment plant at Marcoule in France. AGIP Nucleare and CNEN were in charge of enriched uranium supplies.

In 1972 ANSALDO in joint venture with GE completed a BWR fuel fabrication plant to supply both Italy and a Swiss plant. This is being decommissioned by SOGIN.

There was also a pilot reprocessing plant for Magnox fuel.

Radioactive Waste Management & Decommissioning

In the mid 1990s ENEL terminated nuclear fuel reprocessing and moved to dry cask storage for used fuel from light water reactors.

Today SOGIN is responsible for nuclear and radioactive wastes, and reactor and fuel cycle decommissioning. Some 290 tonnes of used fuel is in dry storage, and overall 5500 cubic meters of radioactive wastes are stored.

In November 2006 a bilateral French - Italian agreement cleared the way for SOGIN to sign a contract with Areva NC for reprocessing 235 tonnes of used fuel now in storage. It is being shipped to La Hague between 2007 and 2015 and the wastes are to be returned after 2020.

Latina's Magnox spent fuel - about 1400 tonnes in total - was shipped to UK for reprocessing at Sellafield.

All reactors are now defuelled and are in Safstor stage of decommissioning. The total cost of this is estimated at EUR 2.6 billion, plus EUR 0.86 billion for fuel cycle facilities. This is funded by a levy on electricity sales.

Sogin's plan for decommissioning will see the former fuel fabrication plant at Bosco Marengo becoming the first facility to be safely decommissioned, in 2009. The first nuclear power plant to be decommissioned will be Trino, in 2013.
A national repository for wastes is envisaged, but previous attempts to identify a site have failed.

R&D

The leading agency for applied nuclear research is ENEA. While most R&D is focused on decommissioning and wastes, basic research continues in order to maintain the nuclear option in the light of climate change concerns.

In the 1970s and 1980s ENEA operated two pilot reprocessing facilities and a pilot MOX fabrication plant.

Several research reactors are operating, including AGN Constanza (since 1960), Uni of Pavia's LENA Triga II (250 kW, since 1965), ENEA's Tapiro (5 kW, since 1971), ENEA's Triga RC-1 (1 MW, since 1960) and a subcritical assembly.

Ansaldo Nucleare, which is building Cernavoda 2 in Romania, is also involved with international R&D on new reactor systems. These include IRIS (with Westinghouse), Euratom projects, and a Generation IV design: ELSY - the European Lead-cooled SYstem, with integral steam generators.

Regulation and safety

In 1964 CNEN was confirmed as the regulatory body for Italy's nuclear power, using safety criteria from UK and USA. It was later split into ENEA - responsible for research and promotion of nuclear energy, and ENEA/DISP as the independent regulatory body. This then became APAT, the Agency for Environmental Protection & Technical Services, as the regulatory body in charge of safety and licensing.  This in turn later became the nuclear department of the environmental protection institute - ISPRA.

In 2008 parliament was considering legislation to set up an independent Agency for Nuclear Security (ASN) as the new regulator, with staff drawn from ISPRA and ENEA.

Non-proliferation

Italy is party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) since 1975 as a non-nuclear weapons state. It is a member of both Euratom and the Nuclear Suppliers' Group. In 1998 it signed the Additional Protocol in relation to its safeguards agreements with the IAEA.

References:
OECD/IEA Electricity Information 2004.
IAEA 2003, Country Nuclear Power Profiles.