Cognitive investigation on nuclear energy, Sogin CEO heard at the Chamber

05 February 2025

The hearing of the CEO of Sogin, Gian Luca Artizzu, took place yesterday morning at the joint VIII (Environment, Territory, and Public Works) and X (Productive activities, trade and tourism) Committees of the Chamber of Deputies, as part of the investigation into the role of nuclear energy in the energy transition and the decarbonisation process

In his speech, the CEO outlined the role that Sogin could play in a phase where nuclear power is reintroduced in our country as a source for energy production, as well as continuing in the decommissioning work of existing nuclear facilities. Artizzu explained that "the decommissioning phase falls within the nuclear phases where the same operating phase skills are exercised, obviously dedicated to something else, not dedicated to the production of the kilowatt now, but on how to implement those dismantling tasks that we need to perform. Paradoxically, in the so-called nuclear winter that has characterised our era, from the 1987 referendum to today, this has made it possible to maintain a significant part of our nuclear expertise in Italy”.".

In addition to the natural decommissioning cycle, skills were maintained thanks to the establishment of an internal school at Sogin, the Radwaste Management School, "which now obviously works throughout Italy using typical distance-learning and naturally, in classroom teaching methods". In this way, Sogin has managed to maintain "the nuclear culture at a very high level, both for our workers and for workers from other companies", as has also been recognised by the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency). The role of expertise is, therefore, strategic for nuclear power in Italy. In addition to our design and implementation capabilities - such as those to "build nuclear glade facilities" - that Sogin applies and develops in decommissioning, "we are designing the National Repository for radioactive waste, which is currently only at the design phase. Based on international standards, we know that it will have to last at least 300 years, so it is about using the most conservative and durable engineering criteria to build these facilities”".

In closing, the CEO wanted to highlight that it is untrue at a scientific and engineering level that  “you cannot make a new nuclear power plant unless you first complete the entire decommissioning cycle", a common statement that is used to support the non-return to nuclear power. He clarified that it was in fact possible to have operating reactors, reactors being dismantled and reactors being designed at the same site at the same time, thanks to the compartmentalization techniques implemented at construction sites and safety systems. “I say this because we currently own four sites designed according to the best international standards to contain nuclear power plants,“, Artizzu said, concluding that some of these were designed to double-up, such as Caorso and Latina, whereas others could be “if there was the political will“.

The website webtv.camera.it has a video streamingof all the Hearings held on 4 February, including Sogin from minute 109 (01h:49m).​