France and Italy are to work together to revive nuclear power in Italy.
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and President Nicolas Sarkozy signed a nuclear co-operation agreement in Rome on Tuesday.
The Italian power company, ENEL, and its French counterpart, EDF, are to study the feasibility of building four nuclear power stations in Italy.
The BBC reports they would replace those closed in accordance with a referendum held after the Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986.
Since then Italy has become the world's biggest net importer of electricity.
Shortly after taking office in May, Mr Berlusconi's government announced plans to build nuclear power stations to reduce the country's dependence on foreign oil and gas.
Earlier this month, Sweden's government unveiled plans to overturn a nearly 30-year-old policy to gradually phase out nuclear power.
