RINA and Ansaldo Energia launch initiative to qualify non-nuclear suppliers for Italy’s nuclear supply chain

RINA and Ansaldo Energia have launched an initiative designed to bolster Italy’s nuclear supply chain. The effort targets companies that are not currently active in the nuclear sector but have transferable industrial capabilities, with the stated goal of expanding and strengthening Italy’s national industrial base.

The initiative is built around a structured pathway intended to help prospective suppliers prepare for the nuclear market. It includes preliminary assessments and gap analyses against international standards, followed by upgrade pathways to support companies as they work toward certification and qualification.

Under the initiative, RINA will support companies throughout the certification and qualification process. Ansaldo Energia will provide industrial expertise in the sector, share market requirements, and promote initiatives intended to support certification processes, including financial backing from institutions and public instruments for internationalisation and industrial development.

Ansaldo Energia CEO Fabrizio Fabbri said that strengthening the country’s industrial capacity is an essential step to enable Italian companies to seize opportunities in what he described as a rapidly growing nuclear market.

RINA CEO and General Manager Carlo Luzzatto said the initiative is intended to support companies on a structured qualification pathway, enabling them to progressively develop capabilities and meet requirements needed to operate in an industry defined by the highest regulatory, technological and safety standards. He added that combining RINA’s expertise with Ansaldo Energia’s industrial experience will help strengthen the competitiveness of Italy’s nuclear supply chain and improve its ability to capitalise on opportunities from both national and international nuclear programmes.

The Italian Nuclear Association expressed full support for the initiative, saying it is important to strengthen and coordinate a national nuclear supply chain and that it builds on expertise and industrial capabilities developed through significant projects abroad. The association also said the national asset must be further expanded and consolidated to respond to opportunities from new international projects and to a demanding nuclear programme expected to be launched in Italy in the coming months.

Companies interested in joining the initiative can find further information on the websites of RINA and Ansaldo Energia.

Context: Italy’s nuclear restart framework

Italy previously operated four nuclear power plants starting in the early 1960s, before phasing out nuclear power after a referendum following the 1986 Chernobyl accident. The country closed its last two operating plants, Caorso and Trino Vercellese, in 1990.

After the Fukushima Daiichi accident in 2011, the Italian government approved a moratorium of at least one year on construction of nuclear power plants. In a June 2011 poll, 94% of voters rejected construction of new nuclear reactors.

More recently, Italy’s Parliament approved a motion in May 2023 urging the government to consider incorporating nuclear power into the energy mix. The government has also established a National Platform for Sustainable Nuclear Power and progressed a bill delegating responsibility for the reintroduction of nuclear energy. The bill is now to be voted on by the Senate, with implementing legislative decrees due within 12 months of the law’s entry into force.