Ansaldo, Edison, Edf: agreement for the future of nuclear power in Italy
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Collaborate in the development of new nuclear power in Europe and encourage its diffusion, verifying the potential for development and application in Italy, where the electricity system has growing needs for security and energy independence. This is, in a nutshell, the objective of the agreement (technically a letter of intent) signed by Ansaldo Energia, Ansaldo Nucleare, the French nuclear giant Edf and its Italian subsidiary Edison, which is also the most ancient in Europe.
An agreement that opens up new and potentially revolutionary scenarios, from various points of view. For the Old Continent, which aims to develop low-carbon sources complementary to renewables, freeing itself as much as possible from Russian gas. For our country, where nuclear power was blocked by the 1987 referendum, but there is a growing number of politicians and experts who stimulate reflection on the subject. Finally, this is a significant “boost” for the Italian industrial chain, given that the immediate aim will be to enhance the skills of Ansaldo Nucleare in support of the development of new nuclear projects of the Edf group, in turn – it must be said – engaged in a laborious and very costly renovation of the current nuclear park, whose maintenance shutdown contributed to a loss of 18 billion euros in 2022.
The long-term vision and the “mini nuclear”
But what is the long-term vision behind this deal? In the vision of the four signatories, nuclear energy “can play a complementary role to that of renewable sources, guaranteeing stability and contributing to the environmental sustainability of the electricity system, in the light of the ambitious European and Italian decarbonisation targets which set the achievement of the climate neutrality”. Nuclear energy, in fact, underlines a joint note, is one of the sources of generation with the lowest CO2 emissions, which ensures a reduced consumption of land compared to the installed electrical power and allows for optimal programmability of production.
The focus, in particular, is on the so-called small modular reactor (mini nuclear) which have “very high safety characteristics, require limited investments and can be used to produce electricity and heat, responding in a versatile way to the needs of the electricity system and the territories”, with the possibility of being assembled directly on site . It is precisely these plants, with approximately 300 MW of installed power, that are being considered for a possible reintroduction of nuclear power in Italy.
Monti (Edison): reflection on Italian nuclear power opens
The agreement provides that each of the three companies will contribute its own expertise to the joint project. Ansaldo, as a component developer and service provider for the energy and nuclear industries; Edf as the world’s leading nuclear energy producer, engaged in the construction of new nuclear projects based on its portfolio of technologies, such as small modular, mid-size EPR1200 reactors and large-size EPR reactors and finally Edison, as one of the main player in the energy sector engaged at the forefront of the Italian energy transition.
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