Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi says Italy will have a plan for nuclear energy by early next year.
Italian voters in a referendum two decades ago rejected nuclear power plants as a way to make electricity.
Berlusconi said in a speech on Saturday his conservative government will unveil a national energy plan by the spring. The plan envisions launching nuclear energy and renewable energies as a way to diversify and to lower utility bills for families and businesses.
Italians pay some of the highest electricity rates in Europe.
The country gets much of its oil and gas from Russia and north African countries including Libya.
Solar energy has been slow to take off in Italy. Wind energy has made some inroads.