When in Vienna. On Wednesday, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi met Italian Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs Giorgio Silli, discussing nuclear safety and inaugurating the Italian pavilion at the Atoms4Food Forum.
- On the same day, in Milan, the Italian Northern region of Lombardy signed a first-of-its-kind memorandum with the IAEA, backed by the Italian government and discussed at an industry roundtable.
Decoding the news. While three years ago simply uttering “nuclear” in Italian politics was taboo, today nuclear energy is back on the institutional agenda, with policymakers arguing it’s essential to energy security, decarbonisation, and technological sovereignty.
- “This is the first regional agreement in the agency’s history,” said Grossi.
- “It proves Lombardy’s cultural and technological capabilities,” he added.
Between the lines. For now, the memorandum lacks technical substance—it’s more of a political gesture than an operational plan.
- But officials insist it’s the first step in a long-term roadmap toward nuclear integration.
- “Don’t ask me where the plants will go,” said Lombardy governor Attilio Fontana, aware of Italy’s strong anti-nuclear sentiment post-Chernobyl and Fukushima.
- “But we must reduce our dependence on raw materials and geopolitics. Nuclear must be part of the solution.”
- Welcoming Italy’s return to nuclear, Grossi said he believes “the World Bank will resume nuclear financing—perhaps even this year.”
A flashback. Italy abandoned nuclear power after two referendums in 1987 and 2011.
- However, under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the government slowly rehabilitated the idea.
- Over the last 30 months, the debate shifted from taboo to tactical, culminating in high-profile institutional discussions on nuclear’s role in Italy’s energy mix.
The new-gen of nuke. Italy’s National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), originally founded as the National Agency for Atomic Energy, never stopped researching nuclear.
- “We’ve been working on new-generation nuclear fission for 15 years,” said Alessandro Dodaro, ENEA’s nuclear director.
- “If renewables were dismissed 25 years ago for cost reasons, we’d never have reached today’s prices, he added.
What they’re saying. ENEA’s Dodaro joined the Lombardy event, alongside industry leaders from Italian energy group Eni and Nuclitalia, a company set up last week by Italian power group Enel, defence giant Leonardo and Ansaldo Energia to study new-generation nuclear technologies.
- “We’ve lived under the illusion of renewables”, said Guido Brusco, Eni’s Chief Operating Officer Global Natural Resources and General Manager. “But we need all technologies — gas, coal, nuclear, biofuels — especially for hard-to-abate sectors.”
- Luca Mastrantonio, CEO of Nuclitalia: “We consume more energy than we produce. That puts us at geopolitical risk. We need a more resilient energy mix.”
The AI factor. One of the drivers behind Lombardy’s energy push is the region’s growing data infrastructure.
- The spread of AI and new data centres, particularly around Milan, is ramping up electricity demand in ways that renewables alone can’t reliably support.
- AI agents will soon be running constantly, causing energy consumption to soar. Therefore, we need predictable baseload power.
What we’re watching. While the memorandum doesn’t specify details, Lombardy sees itself as a natural fit for next-gen nuclear: low seismic risk, industrial muscle, and a growing need for stable, clean energy.
- Italy’s nuclear comeback isn’t entirely written yet, but Wednesday’s signing marks the start of a new chapter—one in which the atom is no longer a political third rail but a tool in the country’s strategic energy arsenal.
