November 19, 2024, Italy - During a recent forum on sustainable development and energy transition, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni emphasized the country’s commitment to nuclear fusion technology, despite having halted nuclear energy production four decades ago.
Italy ranks eighth in Europe in nuclear employment, with approximately 40,000 workers, and serves as a benchmark in the international supply chain.
On November 6, Rome hosted the inaugural ministerial meeting of the Global Fusion Energy Group, initiated by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Meloni stated, “We must be pragmatic,” noting the absence of a single solution to rapidly replace fossil fuel supply.
Furthermore, Italy joined the Global Biofuels Alliance at the G20 summit in New Delhi on September 9-10, 2023, becoming the leading European nation in this sector. Meloni asserted that biofuels could significantly contribute to the energy transition without dismantling internal combustion engine production, which has severe economic, social, and employment repercussions.
She emphasized the necessity of creating an energy mix, utilizing various primary energy sources, including renewables, gas, hydrogen, carbon capture, and biofuels.
Italy is resolutely pursuing nuclear fusion, a technology that could transform energy from a geopolitical weapon into a widely accessible resource, potentially altering historical dynamics.