Here’s ISN Security Watch's senior correspondent in Italy, Eric J Lyman, on the country’s nuclear ambitions…

It will be a major step in Italy's desire to become more energy independent. Both Italy and France are relatively poor in terms of natural resources…

…including, in case it’s escaped everyone’s notice, uranium. You know, the stuff they put in nuclear reactors?

But projections are that the four Italian plants will produce about as much power as Italy currently imports from France…

…and so Italy will no longer import French power, but will instead import French/Russian/Chinese/American/Japanese/whoever’s nuclear fuel. How’s that for being more energy independent?