The Italian government has announced plans to do a U-turn on a decision reached through a referendum nearly 40 years ago and bring back nuclear power, a move Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called a step toward energy security and self-sufficiency.

Italy voted to shut its nuclear power stations in 1987, in the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster, and an attempt in 2011 by then-prime minster Silvio Berlusconi to revive them was rejected following a leak at the Fukushima power station in Japan.

But now the government says developments in nuclear safety and technology mean the 1987 ban is no longer applicable, and it is estimated that if 11 percent of Italy's energy supply was nuclear, by 2050, 17 billion euros ($17.8 billion) could be saved in decarbonizing costs.

The long-term aim is for the nuclear power contribution to double in size to 22 percent.

The proposal has been backed by the country's Council of Ministers, but still needs to be approved by parliament.

However, Environment and Energy Security Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin said "by 2030, we will have nuclear power in Italy, I am convinced", adding that he hopes the plan will be approved by the end of this year.

Italy's return to nuclear power was proposed last summer in a document called the integrated National Energy and Climate Plan, which all European Union member states were required to send to the European Commission.

Meloni's government says small modular reactors could help decarbonize some of Italy's most polluting industries, including glass and steel production.
In an interview published in January, Pichetto Fratin said Italy was "ready to return to nuclear power, a crucial choice that will not replace renewables but will complement them, ensuring a balanced and sustainable energy mix".

Despite Italy not having had its own nuclear capability for many years, its energy companies have maintained a significant presence in nuclear programs in other European countries, including Spain and Slovakia.

Last year, Pichetto Fratin said Italy was speaking to several companies, including France's EDF, as potential partners for a new state-backed company that could build advanced nuclear reactors in Italy.

EDF is a key part of France's nuclear power program, which according to the World Nuclear Association accounts for around 70 percent of its electricity production and makes France the world's largest net exporter of electricity, a trade that brings in more than 3 billion euros per year.

The company has also been heavily involved with Chinese nuclear power development, having helped with the construction and commission of two pressurized water reactors at the Daya Bay nuclear power plant in Guangdong province, which EDF calls "a showcase of French-Chinese cooperation and a blueprint for future developments".