Sogin shareholders appoint new leadership after three-year turnaround
Italy's state-owned nuclear decommissioning company has new leadership. The shareholders' assembly of Sogin, held on 25 September, named Carlo Massagli as President and confirmed Gian Luca Artizzu as Chief Executive Officer for the 2026–2029 term. The new Board of Directors also includes Barbara Bortolussi, Paola Cianfrocca and Jacopo Vignati.
The Rome-based company, entirely controlled by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, is responsible for dismantling Italy's former nuclear power plants and managing radioactive waste. The assembly had been postponed five times before this date.
A turnaround verified by numbers
The appointments follow a three-year recovery under Artizzu's leadership. Sogin closed three consecutive consolidated budgets in profit, with a net result of €2.566 million in 2025 and an EBITDA of €26.74 million. The turnaround began in August 2023, when the new administration took over a company facing significant economic, organizational and regulatory difficulties.
The industrial progress matches the financial recovery. As of 31 December 2025, the decommissioning programme reached 47.7% completion, covering plant safety measures, fuel management, dismantling operations, and radioactive waste treatment and temporary storage.
In the last three years, Sogin launched tenders worth approximately €1 billion for decommissioning activities, with a significant acceleration in 2026 compared to historical averages. Advanced work sites progressed, including interventions on reactor vessels.
Human capital and expanded scope
The company also reversed a previous policy of personnel cuts. A new plan provided for 102 new hires, 65 of which have already been completed at operational sites. Training hours increased from approximately 16,000 in 2022 to nearly 23,000 in 2025.
Sogin's responsibilities also widened to include decommissioning the "Galileo Galilei" RTS-1 reactor at CISAM and operations related to returning fissile nuclear materials to the United States from the EURACOS converter at the University of Pavia.
The company renewed its role as a "Collaborating Centre" of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), developing collaborations with foreign operators in the decommissioning sector.
The National Depot question remains open
The central dossiers for Italy's nuclear system — spent fuel management and the planned National Depot and Technology Park — remain unresolved. No site has yet been identified for the permanent surface facility meant to store low and medium-activity radioactive waste.
The National Depot, estimated to cost €1.5 billion, is not expected to be ready before 2041. In August 2026, Italian energy regulator ARERA restored advance payments for activities related to the project through resolution no. 317/2026, after Sogin submitted the required planning documentation.
Sogin has also awarded an contract for five high-activity waste containers to German company GNS. The total cost for dismantling old nuclear plants and managing radioactive waste is estimated at approximately €11 billion.
A role in Italy's nuclear return?
The same week as the Sogin assembly, the Italian Senate gave final approval to a sustainable nuclear energy bill. The law, passed on 23 September, delegates to the Government the task of issuing legislative decrees within twelve months to regulate advanced reactors, fuel cycles, safety and waste management. It does not identify specific locations for new plants or resolve the National Depot siting.
Sogin states that its expertise in technical, engineering and regulatory matters — maintained and strengthened during its decommissioning mission — would mean Italy would not start from zero if nuclear power returns. The company has positioned itself as a potential operator of new thermal nuclear plants, applying its know-how to future energy choices.
The ex-nuclear power plant sites undergoing decommissioning contain existing electrical networks, hydraulic works and security systems that could be repurposed for new facilities, such as Small Modular Reactors (SMRs).
However, territorial resistance to the National Depot remains strong. Six regions were identified in the National Map of Potentially Suitable Areas (CNAPI) published in December 2023, including 21 sites in the province of Viterbo alone. Local authorities there approved a technical report citing hydrogeological characteristics, seismic risk, inadequate road infrastructure and the area's agricultural vocation as reasons for exclusion.
No self-nominations were submitted by the 12 March 2024 deadline, and the Strategic Environmental Assessment process on the proposed areas is ongoing. Regions and local authorities across the identified areas have expressed opposition to the proposed sites.
