The interview with the CEO of Sogin,
Gian Luca Artizzu,, by
Angela Zoppo, was published in the newspaper
Milano Finanza on 18 March. Several topics were discussed, from the nuclear decommissioning in progress to the role that Sogin could play in the possible return of the production of energy from nuclear sources in Italy.
“Serious work that had never been undertaken before": this is how the CEO described the work just completed on the new plan for all the safety maintenance activities and dismantling at the four nuclear power plants and the five facilities related to the fuel cycle. An investment of approximately 6 billion euro is expected until the release of the last planned site in 2052, taking into account factors such as inflation, the increased costs of raw materials and waste management, pending the construction of the National Repository.
Looking to the future, Artizzu stressed that new reactors could be built even without the National Repository, because "facilities in production generate a minimum amount of waste". The National Repository remains a structure that is necessary to also allow for the disposal of waste produced by other uses, such as those in the industrial or medical-health sectors.
Regarding the enabling law on nuclear power, the CEO commented by highlighting the positive elements it contained, in particular, the simpler authorisation procedures, together with the possibility of establishing bilateral agreements. This will allow for procedures to become standardised, helping to reduce the time required to restart the nuclear sector in our country.
When asked “Is Sogin ready for this new phase?", Artizzu responded in the affirmative. Although it represents the last stage of life of a nuclear facility, decommissioning includes many of the procedures needed for its operation. Sogin has therefore maintained a high level of expertise in the maintenance and operation of the facilities, even if they are no longer in production. "When a power plant is shut down, the fuel remains active and the management is very similar. Dismantling requires enormous expertise and precision, which we put at the service of the country", concluded the CEO.
The interview is available on the digital version of the newspaper, at this link: