This year's referendum on nuclear renaissance in Italy will have an overly familiar feeling amid fears of a possible radiation release in Japan .

Italians are scheduled to vote between April 15 and June 15 on whether they want to block the government's policy of bringing nuclear plants back, after a referendum almost 25 years ago decided to scrap the facilities.

In 1987, Italians voted to abandon nuclear energy because of the disaster at the Chernobyl power station in Russia the previous year. Italian energy companies and engineers have been sulking ever since.

With images of human suffering, damaged food stock and destroyed homes, opponents of nuclear power walked over the nuclear supporters.

Today's opponents will be sure to pick on the possible nuclear meltdown risk at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan caused from Friday's massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami.

In recent years Italian government officials have promoted the safety of nuclear plants by taking Japan as an example on how such facilities can be suitable in places vulnerable to large earthquakes.

Italy is prone to earthquakes as can be seen from the 2008 tremor that hit the central city of L'Aquila, leaving about 300 people dead, the 1997 quake that severely damaged Assisi or the one at the start of the 20th century that flattened the cities of Messina and Reggio Calabria.

All this won't make life easier for a government that wants to generate around 25% of Italy's future electricity from nuclear energy, or plans by Enel and Electricite de France to jointly build four reactors for a combined investment of EUR18 billion.

The majority of Italy 's regions have already stated they don't want a reactor in their area.

This means that the still-to-be-determined referendum date is likely to be set as late as possible, or Sunday June 12, to try to get as much distance as possible from the nuclear troubles in Japan .

So it won't be only be the Japanese who are following the unfolding events at the nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi complex--many in Rome will be watching too.

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