Italy has not produced nuclear energy for around 40 years. The government led by Giorgia Meloni is, as we speak, seeking to pass legislation that would once again allow the construction of nuclear power stations, but there is a distinctly Italian paradox.
In a country without nuclear power, Italy’s nuclear sector is performing remarkably well. How? Through the company responsible for decommissioning nuclear power stations, Sogin – one of the most highly regarded organisations in this field internationally, which has distinguished itself over the last three years through its results and actions.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Sogin is the only Collaborating Centre in Italy, and in 2025 it was entrusted with running the Pilot Nuclear Decommissioning Management School.
Sogin is also among the world’s leading decommissioning companies to addressed the challenge of graphite management, developing safety solutions and procedures that are more advanced than those of other companies that are considerably larger and better resourced. These solutions, together with the recent development of robotic solutions in collaboration with an innovative Italian partner, complement the methods established to date and will enable work to be carried out with a high level of safety for both workers and the environment. This is another reason why Sogin has been recognised as one of the international leaders in this field, as demonstrated by requests for agreements from the Japanese organisation JAPC and from the NDA, the UK’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, one of the sector’s major players.
Sogin has been offered responsibility for the 64 uranium-thorium nuclear fuel rods from Elk River: following Sogin’s work and its longstanding relationship with the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and the Department of Energy (DOE), the latter has, for the first time since the 1970s, offered a unique opportunity to repatriate the fuel rods – something the Italian government had been seeking, unsuccessfully, since 1980. This activity is currently suspended due to circumstances beyond Sogin’s control. Meanwhile, last summer, ‘dry storage’ operations for the 64 fuel assemblies officially began at the Itrec site in Rotondella, a preparatory step ahead of any further action.
Finally, the management of nuclear fuel: in addition to the resumption of negotiations with the French company Orano regarding the management of legacy nuclear fuel, Sogin is recognised as having such expertise in this field that it receives international proposals to develop new manufacturing and quality-control processes for new nuclear fuels, including those intended for use in next-generation reactors. How will Giorgia Meloni make use of this expertise now that she has the opportunity to do so?
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