Rome's policy decision in 1987 not to build nuclear power stations now means Italy is the most dependent of EU states on electricity imports.

Italy imports almost 16 percent, or one-sixth, of its electricity, mainly from France and Switzerland, but also Austria, Slovenia and, to a lesser degree, Greece and the French Mediterranean island of Corsica.

France provides almost continuously 2,650 megawatts of electricity to the Italian network managing body GRTN, and Switzerland provides about 3,000 megawatts.

In France by contrast, nuclear energy accounts for 84 percent of all electricity produced nationally, and about 76 percent of the energy it consumes, France being a net exporter of electricity.

"Our system is vulnerable because we depend on foreign supply," said GRTN president Andrea Bollino of the power outage that plunged the country into darkness for several hours on Sunday morning, stranding thousands on trains and escalators, and claiming the lives of at least three elderly people.

French distribution network RTE said the breakdown occurred in Switzerland where several high-voltage cables carrying 400,000 volts to the north of Italy broke down before dawn on Sunday. Two French lines were closed down briefly 24 minutes later.

But Swiss officials have denied that their country alone was responsible.

Italians are also likely to ask questions about the distribution network after the provinces of Enna and Caltanissetta on the Mediterranean island of Sicily as well as the southeastern Puglia region remained without power Monday.

The power outage, which affected almost all of Italy's 57 million people, was the latest to hit a leading industrial country after massive blackouts in the United States and Britain last month.

By Monday morning, electricity had been restored to most parts of the country and GRTN said there was no danger of any power cuts Tuesday.

The Rome prosecutor's office announced, however, it would launch a probe into the outage to determine who was responsible for the power failure.

The Italian press was swift to heap the blame for the blackout on the government of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

For the left wing daily La Repubblica, the power cut was proof of Berlusconi's "inability to manage the problems of a modern society, to cope with daily uncertainties, to resolve the most banal technical incidents."

After the dramatic power cut which hit the United States in mid-August, Berlusconi had assured Italians that such a disaster could never happen in their country.

Daily La Stampa issued a plea to the government: "Don't tell us now that it's the fault of the Swiss and the French and at the end of the day it could have been worse and thank God it was a Saturday evening."

"No, say it clearly. The breakdown reminded us of a reality for which we are absolutely not prepared," it said.

WAR.WIRE