Nuclear power for Italy will become just a memory, because the decommissioning of site activities continues. The deposit of the waste is still far from being identified, but Sogin, the public company responsible for the dismantling of Italian nuclear plants and the safety of radioactive waste, thinks he can do it. Trust must grow, however, because every time we talk about nuclear energy the Italians are in trouble. In reality, among European countries, Italy is the one that seems to have never definitively closed accounts with the atom.
There has been talk of fourth generation plants since Sogin launched the national consultation on decommissioning. The Company ended 2021 with 120 million euros spent in more to keep tabs on operations. The National Seminar was held from September to November with over 160 participants and many institutional representatives. Consultations will continue in 2022 to outline a time horizon (hopefully) on site selection. Moreover, for twenty years Sogin has been under observation by politics and local authorities for its mission.
Delays and disputes have accompanied its entire existence. Before Christmas, the CEO Emmanuel Fontani communicated the results of everything that belongs to his company. It was learned, among other things, that Sogin spends 3 million euros as operating costs. During the year, the main activities concerned the Latina, Trino, Caorso and Garigliano sites. On the other hand, work has begun on the Eurex site in Saluggia for solidify radioactive waste liquids present.
In the meantime, seven Regions are involved in the waste deposit and after the National Seminar, the phase that will lead to the preparation of the National Charter of Eligible Areas has started. The political implications on this point are of great interest both for the mass of investments to be activated and for the controversy over the storage of residues. The physical progress of the Italian nuclear order is today 7,2%.
For Fountains the 2020-2025 business plan remains valid, but 2022 could be the year of change. The transition to renewables will receive decisive thrusts, but the nuclear issue must be considered in its complexity, above all for the ideas expressed on several occasions by the Minister of Ecological Transition, Roberto Cingolani. The presence of waste in the old sites cannot overshadow the search for new technologies.
