Italy Says No To Nuclear Power – Again

A recent referendum in Italy has resulted in a resounding vote against nuclear energy, with over 94 percent of Italians opposed to the construction of nuclear power stations in the country.

A recent referendum in Italy has resulted in a resounding vote against nuclear energy, with over 94 percent of Italians opposed to the construction of nuclear power stations in the country.

The referendum was in relation to repealing new rules that would have allowed the production of nuclear electricity in the territory. Nuclear power was in use in Italy until a previous referendum after the Chernobyl disaster closed all plants by 1990. However, the country still continues to import power from other nuclear nations, notably, France.

Italy’s Berlusconi’s government had set a goal of generating 25 percent of Italy’s electricity requirements with nuclear power by 2030, with another 25 percent from renewables. In light of the referendum results, Italy is expected to substantially boost its renewable energy targets and will need to reconsider its recent plans to phase out solar incentives.

The results of the referendum had an immediate boost on the local renewables sector, with share values jumping in many renewable energy companies.

Italy joins Switzerland and Germany who have also recently turned their backs on nuclear energy in the wake of the disaster in Fukushima.

Meanwhile, radioactive caesium has been detected in whales caught off the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, 650 kilometres north-east of Fukushima. Japan’s government is also planning to give radiation dosimeters to tens of thousands of children living as far away as 60 kilometers from the Fukushima disaster site. A similar program is understood to be under way in the city of Date, where 8,000 school-age children will be provided with dosimeters.

That one nuclear facility could wreak damage over such a wide area has refreshed memories of the nightmare of Chernobyl; the difference being today, humanity has far more safer options for generating clean electricity on a large scale – namely wind and solar power.

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