"At the cabinet meeting tomorrow we will call a one-year moratorium on decisions or the search for nuclear sites," Romani said Tuesday.

Rome had planned to start building nuclear power stations from 2014 and hoped to produce a quarter of its electricity with atomic energy by 2030.

But even before the catastrophe in Japan, a poll by the Ipsos institute in February showed 58 percent of Italians opposed nuclear power stations.

Last week Romani called for "a moment of reflection" on Italy's planned return to civilian nuclear power, which it abandoned in 1987 in the wake of the Chernobyl disaster.

Environment Minister Stefania Prestigiacomo was previously quoted in media reports as saying that the nuclear energy issue was "finished" since the government could not "risk the elections because of nuclear power".

The government faces a crucial referendum on the issue on June 12, which will go ahead despite the moratorium and will decide whether to uphold a bill adopted in 2008 that opened the way for a return to nuclear.

"The government is wasting time in the hope that the issue will blow over and they will be able to continue with plans to install nuclear power stations throughout most of Italy," opposition Italy of Values member Silvana Mura said.

National head of the Green Party, Angelo Bonelli, said the government "should be ashamed about their continued attempts to ditch the referendum... and prevent citizens from democratically expressing themselves on nuclear".

Nuclear power is a key goal for Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who has said it will reduce Italy's energy dependency and lower electricity bills.

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