Nuclear power: Edison aims to have Italia’s first mini-reactor by 2035
A project for ten SMRs (small modular reactors) to be built in Europe using the local industrial supply chain was presented in collaboration with EDF and Nuward
Nuclear power: a series of ten mini-reactors to be built in Europe, worth tens of billions, with the first plant in Italia due to be completed by 2035, within the regulatory framework that will take shape following the enabling act on nuclear power, which is expected to be approved shortly.
This is the project presented by Edison and EDF, together with their subsidiary Nuward (a group company dedicated to the development and commercialisation of SMR technology), centred on the technological core of the plan: a new SMR (small modular reactor) manufactured in the EU, to be built in partnership with the Italian industrial sector and designed for the European market – the Italian and French markets in particular – and subsequently, potentially, for global markets.
In June 2026, on the occasion of the summit to renew the Treaty of the Quirinal at the Franco-Italian Economic Forum and the Antibes Summit, EDF, Nuward, Edison and major Italian operators, including AIPE, ATB Riva Calzoni, Saipem, Simic, Tectubi Raccordi, Walter Tosto and Webuild, had signed a declaration of interest in participating in the development of the Nuward SMR product and its roll-out in Italia, France and the rest of Europe. Today, that commitment has been confirmed and is entering the operational phase: the industrial players will be involved right from the design stage.
Nuward SMRs will, alongside renewables, help to achieve Italian and European energy transition targets, enhancing security, energy independence and competitiveness, whilst also promoting the development of the Italian and European industrial supply chain for new nuclear power. The project is based on an equal partnership between France and Italia – which can be extended to other European countries – that harnesses the expertise of the Italian nuclear industry for the construction of SMRs both in Italy and abroad, combining this with French experience in the design, construction and operation of this type of plant.
The product presented, the Nuward SMR, is a small-scale (400 MW electrical), modular, pressurised water reactor based on fully established advanced third-generation technology, capable of producing electricity and heat. It is therefore particularly well-suited to the decarbonisation of industrial processes in hard-to-abate sectors, such as a manufacturing industrial estate, a chemical complex, a port area, a district heating network or a large data centre. For this reason, the site on which it could be built – the mapping process has only just begun – is located in central-northern Italia, presumably alongside industrial hubs.
