ATOMIC POWER FOR ITALY

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28472, 30 December 1957, Page 7

ATOMIC POWER FOR ITALY

Assistance From Britain

(Rec. 8 p.m.) ROME, Dec. 28. Britain and Italy today signed an agreement for co-operation in the industrial use of atomic energy.

The agreement lays down in particular that Britain will supply to Italy (or help Italy to obtain from other sources) enough quantities of natural uranium to meet the requirements of a British-type nuclear power station due to be built in Italy. An Italian company, A.G.1.P.Nucleare, has already reached agreement with the British Nuclear Power Plant Company for the construction of a Calder Hall-type station with a capacity of, 200 megawatts in Northern Italy. The formal contract for this is expected to be signed by June 30, 1958.

Italy reached a nuclear power agreement with the United States last July, under which the United States pledged itself to supply Italy with nuclear fuel needed by two American-type stations also due to be built under Italy’s nuclear power programme launched last August. An official communique issued after the signing* disclosed that the agreement will remain in force 10 years. It also laid down safeguards and controls to be applied in Italy to nuclear materials and equipment supplied from the United Kingdom.