UPDATE 1-U.S. deal offers Eni chance to go nuclear-paper

* Govt wouldn't oppose Eni branching out-minister in paper

* Eni has no current nuclear plans - CEO in paper

* Shares up 1 pct, outperforming sector

(Adds Eni, analyst comment, shares)

MILAN, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Oil company Eni SpA (ENI.MI) would be well placed to enter the nuclear power sector on the back of a development accord that Italy and the United States will shortly sign, a government minister said in a newspaper interview.

The bilateral agreement on nuclear research and industrial cooperation will be ratified in less than a week, giving Italy options beyond its existing nuclear alliance with France, Industry Ministry Undersecretary Stefano Saglia told daily Corriere della Sera on Wednesday.

Italian power company Enel SpA (ENEI.MI) and French peer EDF SA EDF.SA agreed last month to set up a 50:50 joint venture to develop nuclear power in Italy.

A nuclear role for Eni would complement the U.S.-Italy accord, Saglia said.

"In the case of a second link-up, Eni would have the ... industrial and financial trump cards," he told the newspaper. The Italian state owns 30 percent of Eni.

The accord with the United States is "not an agreement between companies but between governments", Saglia said, though Rome "would not view a commitment by Eni negatively."

On Tuesday, Eni Chief Executive Paolo Scaroni was quoted in La Stampa daily saying the company has nothing planned on the nuclear front at present but noted how the U.S. administration wants Europe to invest more in that form of energy.

There is "a certain interest" in this investment shift away from traditional fuels, he said.

Industry Minister Claudio Scajola said last month that the U.S.-Italy protocol will also give U.S. companies the chance to compete to build nuclear power stations in Italy.

Il Sole 24 Ore daily said Scajola's entourage to the United States next week would include Finmeccanica SpA (SIFI.MI) Chief Executive Pier Francesco Guarguaglini. It cited sources close to the aerospace and defence group.

Finmeccanica will explore the idea of setting up a consortium with Toshiba Corp (6502.T) unit Westinghouse to supply nuclear power plants in Italy, the newspaper said, citing the same sources.

At 0754 GMT, Eni shares were up 1 percent at 17.26 euros outperforming the Eurostoxx oil and gas index .SXEP.

A Milan analyst said Eni could link up with Finmeccanica and Westinghouse as an alternative to the Enel/EDF project, adding any Eni project would involve billions of euros of investment and take years to get off the ground.

(Writing by Nigel Tutt; editing by John Stonestreet)