Seventh largest producer of nuclear energy in the world. Marco Ricotti speaks (PoliMi)

di Beatrice Passarelli

27 July 2022 - With fifteen operational reactors, Ukraine is the world's seventh largest producer of nuclear electricity and ranks first in Europe for uranium mining reserves. The country at the center of the war is also rich in raw materials such as lithium, titanium, manganese, iron, mercury and carbon. The conflict that started last February 24 made the energy crisis and given new impetus to the reshaping of state policies. To reflect on the topic of energy sources alternatives in Italy we interviewed Marco Henry Ricotti, full professor of nuclear plants at the Milan Polytechnic e President of Cirten, the Interuniversity Consortium for Nuclear Technological Research.

The conflict has forced many countries to diversify their energy supply sources. Would a use of nuclear energy be strategic? The use of nuclear power is advantageous both from a strategic point of view, as it would make it possible to reduce energy dependence, but also from an economic point of view. Europe has all the skills, knowledge and intellectual property to develop almost the entire nuclear value chain. To be independent we lack only natural uranium, which can be purchased from countries such as Canada and Australia.

According to the former Minister of Economic Development Giancarlo Giorgetti «We need to start discussing clean nuclear power». If Italian politics were to open up again to nuclear power, how soon could we build the first new generation plants? Italy is at the forefront of fourth generation nuclear research, small scale modular reactors and nuclear fusion experimentation. If we want to collaborate with nations, for example France, Slovenia, Finland and the Czech Republic, who want to extend the life of their plants, we can do it immediately. Realistically we could develop modular reactors by 2030 and fourth generation ones by 2040. If we want to play a leading role, however, decisions are needed that must be taken now with a long-term vision.

The theme came back to life even before the conflict in Ukraine, when at the beginning of 2022 the European Commission decided to include nuclear power within the so-called "green taxonomy". How does nuclear power stack up against other emerging energy solutions? Nuclear power is a clean and safe source of energy. The 440 reactors operating in the world today do not emit greenhouse gases, therefore there are no technical-scientific reasons for not wanting to consider nuclear energy as a valid alternative for combating the environmental crisis. Furthermore, Generation IV reactors can also make a contribution to production, without CO emissions2, of other energy carriers such as hydrogen.