History of uranium and nuclear policy in Italy (1946-1965). In: History of Research in Mineral Resources

n 1952, within CNR (National Research Council), National Committee for Nuclear Research (CNRN) was founded in Italy, with the main purpose of acquiring and developing knowledge about peaceful applications of nuclear energy. In 1960, CNRN became a public self-governing institution, separated from CNR and changing the name into CNEN (National Committee for Nuclear Energy). During the first period of establishment, CNEN policy choices undoubtedly reflected optimism and triumphalism followed by the first United Nations Conference on peaceful use of nuclear power, held in Geneva in 1955. The huge interest towards different nuclear applications was certainly driven by strategic needs related to industrial and economic development of industrialized countries. At the beginning of the “industrial atomic age”, nuclear industry was surely an instrument of technological “transfer” and innovation; it didn’t represent an alternative to fossil fuels. Mining explorations were among the earlier activities undertaken in the CNRN foundation, mainly since 1961. A regional scale geochemical prospecting reconnaissance for uranium in several alpine regions and in different part of Central-Southern Italy was realized. These explorations represented undoubtedly an effort to manage an energy policy not entirely dependent on the international context and raw materials imports. Considering this historical outlook, the paper will try to trace the initial stages of uranium policy and studies in Italy. An interest that led to open a university teaching in “Geology of Uranium” at the Polytechnic School of Milan and to establish a scientific and technical discipline with its own handbooks,reviews and popular publications.