Most provinces say 'no' to government plans for new nuclear

At a conference of the regions, most Italian provincial leaders declared their opposition to the Berlusconi government's proposed re-opening of nuclear power in Italy. Italy held a national referendum in 1987, after the Chernobyl explosion that radioactively contaminated much of the country. Italians responded with a decisive vote to shut down Italy's three remaining operating reactors (the fourth had already closed). The provincial leader of the southern province of Basilicata - where the previous Berlusconi government attempted - and failed - to site a high-level radioactive waste dump - declared at the conference: "We are against nuclear power; it is not a positive choice and that provides no immediate results and that has a negative impact on energy choices."

Campania and Puglia regions say "no" to new nukes

The regional governments of Campania and Puglia have voted against siting new nuclear reactors in their territories and declared their opposition to the government's decision to restart nuclear energy in Italy. The law that brought nuclear power back to the country required the government to announce criteria for selecting sites within six months, with the five former nuclear power sites specifically excluded. That law was adopted on 9 July 2009 and the government is now approaching its deadline. A 1987 referendum in Italy saw the closure of the remaining three of its four operating reactors. The nuclear ban came in response to the Chernobyl reactor accident in Ukraine which resulted in considerable radioactive fallout on Italy. It appears likely that the Italian Supreme Court will now have to resolve the matter.

Bribes will decide new reactor sites in Italy

Hardly surprising, coming from the notoriously corrupt Berlusconi government, it has been reported that municipalities willing to take a new reactor will be paid 30 million euros – 6 million for each of the five years of anticipated construction. There is no mention of what happens when the construction projects go beyond schedule (not to mention over budget). Frontrunners are mainly sites originally targeted for reactors before the entire program was shut down by national referendum in 1987 after the Chernobyl explosion. However, the Berlusconi government believes the time is right to over-turn the view of the Italian public. Environmental groups are already organizing opposition.