Rome Prepares to Flip the Switch on Atomic Comeback as Senate Vote Nears

Italy is standing on the threshold of a major shift in its energy strategy, with the national Senate expected to approve landmark legislation within days to clear the path for a nuclear power comeback by 2035.

The upcoming vote on the atomic bill is designed to establish the legal framework for reintroducing nuclear generation to the country. Approval by the upper house would formally anchor Rome’s ambition to build new reactors over the coming decade, ending a long-standing domestic absence of atomic power.

For energy consumers and industry, laying down a legal pathway for nuclear power is about securing a stable, low-carbon baseload to complement renewable generation. Rebuilding an entire energy sector takes years of political consistency, heavy capital investment, and absolute regulatory clarity.

Setting a firm 2035 target gives grid operators and investors a concrete timeline. However, turning parliamentary sanction into working power plants within eleven years represents a formidable engineering and administrative challenge.

Across the European quarter, energy policy remains one of the few areas where member states routinely agree to disagree, split between those advocating for atomic energy as essential to net-zero goals and those wanting EU green focus restricted entirely to renewables.

Italy’s return to the nuclear fold recalibrates the balance of power inside the Council of the EU. Rome’s shift means one of the bloc’s largest industrial economies is aligning with the pro-nuclear bloc. Any future state support or construction plans will eventually run through the European Commission’s competition and state aid apparatus, guaranteeing that Rome's domestic decision will spark plenty of work in Brussels.

The immediate focus is on the Italian Senate, where the vote on the atomic bill is anticipated within days. If approved, attention will shift to setting up regulatory oversight and establishing the industrial strategy required to hit the 2035 timeline.