ROME, Feb 4 (Reuters) - U.S. energy group Westinghouse

proposed using decommissioned nuclear sites in Italy for the

installation of small modular reactors, with the aim to start

construction by 2030, a company official said on Tuesday.

The move fits with a shift in Italy's energy policy as the

right-wing government led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni looks

to revive a sector that has been dormant for decades.

The proposal was made by Fabio Presot, Westinghouse

commercial sales manager, during a parliamentary hearing. Italy

has four decommissioned nuclear sites.

Edison, the Italian arm of French group EDF, plans

to construct two advanced nuclear reactors in Italy by 2040,

company executive Lorenzo Mottura told the hearing. The first

plant is slated for completion by 2035, and the second by 2040.

The first small modular reactor technologies would be

available by the end of this decade and undergo testing in the

early 2030s, he added.

Energy Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin announced in

October that Italy was in discussions with several groups,

including Westinghouse and EDF, as potential partners for a

state-backed company to build advanced nuclear reactors.

Nuclear power plants have been prohibited in Italy following

referendums in 1987 and 2011.

However, the country is planning to finalise a strategy by

the end of 2027 to reintroduce nuclear power, nearly 40 years

after it was banned, Fratin said last week.

The government has stated that small modular reactors and

advanced modular reactors could aid in the decarbonisation of

Italy's most polluting industries, including steel, glass, and

tilemaking.