Italy will put on hold its plan to build nuclear power plants, casting doubt on one of the key platforms for PM Silvio Berlusconi

Italy's constitutional court ruled on Wednesday a national referendum could be held against the construction of nuclear power plants, dealing a potential blow to government plans to relaunch the sector.

Italy is the only Group of Eight industrialized nation that does not produce nuclear power, but Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi aims wants nuclear plants to generate a quarter of the country's

Italy's southern region of Basilicata wants to become self-sufficient in power supplies by 2020 by boosting its renewable energy capacity by more than fivefold to about 1,600 megawatt, regional authorities said.

Basilicata with a population of about 600,000 people consumes 3,000 gigawatt hours of electricity a year and at present covers half of its needs with its own output generated mostly at

Talks expected to boost Ankara's energy hub ambitions began on Thursday as Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin met with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan.

Putin's visit is also expected to focus on Turkish support for a Russian natural gas pipeline project that Moscow wants to build ahead of a rival European Union-backed pipeline.

The Milan trade fair said on Tuesday it is commissioning the world's biggest rooftop photovoltaic power installation covering some 270,000 square meters.

The final shape of the European energy market is emerging: an oligopoly