Italy's government on Friday adopted a law paving the way for a return to nuclear energy almost 40 years after it was banned by referendum, in what Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described as a step towards energy security and self-sufficiency.

Italy’s cabinet has approved a new legal framework aimed at reintroducing nuclear power generation, as Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government looks to overturn a decades-long ban.

Premier Giorgia Meloni said Friday that her cabinet has given the green light to a bill paving the way for Italy's return to nuclear power. Italy abandoned nuclear power following a referendum in the wake of the Chernobyl disaster but the government plans to return to atomic energy with small latest-generation reactors to reduce reliance on imports and cut greenhouse gas emissions in view of the climate crisis.