Nuclitalia joint venture’s initial task will be feasibility study
A collaboration between Italian multinationals Enel, Ansaldo Energia and Leonardo has been established to lead research and market analysis as Italy considers plans to deploy advanced nuclear power plants.
The joint venture, called Nuclitalia, was initially announced in April.
It will concentrate on studying advanced sustainable nuclear power technologies, initially focusing on water-cooled small modular reactors (SMRs).
Enel is a Rome-based electricity and gas utility. Ansaldo Energia is a Genoa-based engineering company and Leonardo a Rome-based company specialising in aerospace, defence and security.
Enel will hold a 51% stake in Nuclitalia, Ansaldo Energia 39% and Leonardo 10%.
Italian energy minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin said last month the new company’s initial aim would be to carry out a feasibility study to determine the most suitable nuclear technology.
The three companies said in a joint statement that Nuclitalia will assess innovative nuclear designs and their applicability “within the Italian system”. The venture will undertake “a rigorous technical-economic analysis to pinpoint the most promising nuclear solutions”, the statement said.
Nuclitalia will also investigate industrial partnerships, co-design opportunities and improvements to the Italian supply chain.
The Italian government has approved a law paving the way to a return to nuclear energy.
The government aims to use advanced modular reactors to produce sustainable energy and decarbonise its most polluting industries. It says that advances in technology and safety make the ban on nuclear power obsolete.
Italy was a pioneer of nuclear power and had four commercial nuclear plants – Caorso, Enrico Fermi, Garigliano and Latina – providing almost 5% of the country’s electricity production share at their peak in 1986-1987.
The country banned nuclear energy after it was rejected in a national referendum following the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 and another in 2011 following the Fukushima-Daiichi accident. It shut down its last commercial reactors, Caorso and Enrico Fermi, in 1990.
