Italy strikes down nuclear plant ban: report

Italy's constitutional court has struck down a bid by three regions to ban new nuclear power plants amid strong public opposition to the return of nuclear energy, ANSA reported on Saturday. Laws in the three southern Italian

regions -- Basilicata, Campania and Puglia -- banning plants from their territory were in violation of state jurisdiction, the news agency cited court officials saying.
The government had said in February that it would challenge the regions.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi announced shortly after regaining power in 2008 that Italy would begin building nuclear power stations again to reduce the country's dependence on foreign oil and gas supplies.
Italy rejected nuclear power in a 1987 referendum after the Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine and debate on where new plants could be built has been heated.
The government is planning to start producing nuclear power from 2020.http://www.nuclearpowerdaily.com/reports/Italy_strikes_down_nuclear_plant_ban_report_999.html

Related articles

• Atomic Agency's Veronesi Says Italy Will Go Nuclear (businessweek.com)
• You: Venetians raise blinds against nuclear plan (search.japantimes.co.jp)
• Nuclear Power Pros And Cons: Is It Key To America's Energy Future? (PHOTOS) (huffingtonpost.com)
• Nuclear power will cut Italy emissions--official (globalnation.inquirer.net)