Italian Leader Pushes Nuclear Power

Italian Industry Minister Claudio Scajola said Thursday that the need for energy would force the country to return to building nuclear power plants.

In a speech to members of Confidustria, an industrial employers association, Scajola said we can no longer put off an action plan to return to nuclear power, predicting construction on new plants would begin within five years, ANSA reported.

Scajola blamed Italy’s trade deficit on its $94 billion energy bill,

”Only with nuclear power will we be able to produce energy on a large scale, in a safe way, at competitive prices and with respect for the environment,” the minister added.

We find ourselves way behind because of the delays and inefficiencies which followed the last national energy plan 20 years ago, Scajola said in the ANSA report.

He called on Italy’s industrial and business communities to find credible solutions for the disposal of nuclear waste.