The contribution of nuclear energy to the meeting of Italy's electric power requirements

The paper discusses ENEL's policy in the development of nuclear energy, which assigns to this source the role of meeting almost all of Italy's additional future power requirements. This is a position taken some time ago and already outlined on the occasion of the Geneva Conference of 1971. The policy is based on a number of factors, reviewed in the paper, which differentiate, at least in quantitative terms, Italy's situation from that of most industrialized countries. Among these factors stand out the scarcity of natural resources, including energy sources available in Italy. An extensive recourse to nuclear energy is the best way to achieve that diversification of energy supplies vital to the Italian economy which, because of the very lack of natural resources, is predominantly based on processing. While the Caorso Nuclear Power Plant (840 MW) is due to go into service soon, ENEL's nuclear plan, recently approved by the Government, calls for the construction of the four 1,000-MW units already on order and of 16 additional units, of the same size, divided into two 8-units blocks, to be decided on respectively in the very near future and before the end of 1977. The necessary flexibility of the plan concerning the nuclear units that will go into service by the 1986 is ensured by the subdivision into blocks, with provision for the postponement of the second, 8-units block in the country's economy development requires a revision in electric power forecasts. The paper then considers in particular the integration between the nuclear plan and ENEL's extensive plan for pumped-storage hydro-electric power plants and the related technical and economic advantages which also extend to an international scope. The paper concludes the review of Italy's nuclear plan by stressing two essential problems: financing and the availability of sites for nuclear power plants. Upon their timely and satisfactory solution depends the actual construction of the plants by the scheduled dates. Finally, the paper supplies some information concerning the nuclear research, development and demonstration activities connected with the long-term plans; they are centered on the CNEN-ENEL project for the 40,000-kW CIRENE prototype, a light-water fog cooled and heavy water moderated reactor, and above all on the EdF-ENEL-RWE joint project for the construction of two over 1,000-MW demonstration plants equipped with sodium-cooled breeder reactors. With such reactors it would be possible to achieve a virtually complete energy independence, for the nuclear source, even in uranium-poor Italy