Meloni approves plan to develop next-generation nuclear reactors and turn Italy into the “Mediterranean Energy Hub”

Giorgia Meloni’s government is aiming to make Italy the “Mediterranean energy hub” by exploring new nuclear reactors and strengthening interconnections, while Spain continues to struggle in its attempts to escape energy isolation through failed collaborations with France. Italy’s strategy is moving forward decisively: the Prime Minister has promoted the creation of Nuclitalia, an alliance between Enel, Ansaldo, and Leonardo to develop next-generation nuclear reactors. This new company was officially presented last week, marking a strong commitment to diversifying the country’s energy mix.

Just two days earlier, Meloni and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis signed a strategic agreement in Rome between the two countries’ grid operators. The goal: to strengthen the electrical connection between Italy and Greece through a new 1,000-megawatt submarine cable, with an estimated investment of 1.9 billion euros. This initiative reinforces Italy’s position as a key player in Southern Europe’s energy system and reflects growing interest in alternative routes following the recent massive blackout on the Iberian Peninsula.

That outage, the most serious recorded this century by the EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER), exposed the weakness of Spain’s grid. The collapse has cast doubt on the country’s ability to ensure supply, despite having one of the cheapest and greenest energy portfolios in Europe — a factor that should be attractive to industry and data centers. The priority now is to restore the credibility of the electric system and secure its reliability.

In contrast to the progress made by Italy and Greece, Spain remains stuck in its historic energy disconnection from the rest of the continent. Even Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has acknowledged that the country is still “an energy island,” with an interconnection level barely reaching 2% — far below the EU’s 10% target set for this year. Spain’s grid operator, Red Eléctrica, admits that reaching the 15% goal for 2030 will be unfeasible under current conditions.

This is not a new problem. Back in 2015, under Mariano Rajoy’s government, an agreement was reached to build a submarine interconnection across the Bay of Biscay, initially planned to be operational by 2020. However, France has continuously delayed the project, now setting its completion for 2028. Meanwhile, since Macron’s last promise in 2023, the only notable progress has been on a hydrogen pipeline between Marseille and Barcelona — a project with unresolved technical feasibility and no relevance to electricity issues.

Despite its limited capacity, the weak connection with France played a crucial role during the April 28 blackout, helping to restore service thanks to French nuclear plants. Nonetheless, the fragility of Spain’s grid was laid bare and has prompted faster decision-making in neighboring countries.