The Italian government Tuesday scrapped further elements of the country's planned revival of nuclear power, making it increasingly likely that the two-year moratorium on development in the wake of Japan 's nuclear crisis will extend further into the future.

The government added an amendment in an omnibus energy bill that would essentially abrogate all the norms devised to govern site selection for eventual nuclear plants.

A bipartisan consensus had emerged in favor of nuclear power, abolished by referendum in the late 1980s, and Enel SpA (ENEL.MI) had plans to build four plants of as many as eight in the country.

Despite the political consensus, public opposition to the siting of nuclear power facilities was strong. The government has now scrapped its rules for site selection, which had themselves required laborious technical work.

The abrogation makes it unlikely that Italy will proceed with a planned popular referendum called to test whether citizens approved of the decision to restore nuclear power.

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