Spain’s three largest utilities are working on a proposal to extend the lifespan of the country’s biggest nuclear power plant, whose reactors are slated to be shut down in 2027 and 2028.
Spain’s three largest utilities are working on a proposal to extend the lifespan of the country’s biggest nuclear power plant, whose reactors are slated to be shut down in 2027 and 2028.
Iberdrola SA, Endesa SA and Naturgy Energy Group SA are seeking to postpone the planned closing of the Almaraz facility until 2030, Endesa Chief Executive Officer Jose Bogas said Thursday.
The delay could be the first step to rethink the plan to shut down Spain’s seven nuclear reactors by 2035. That plan was agreed upon about six years ago by the utilities that own the facilities and Enresa, the state-owned company in charge of managing radioactive waste and of dismantling nuclear plants. Iberdrola holds the majority of Almaraz, with a 53% stake.
The delay could be the first step to rethink the plan to shut down Spain’s seven nuclear reactors by 2035. That plan was agreed upon about six years ago by the utilities that own the facilities and Enresa, the state-owned company in charge of managing radioactive waste and of dismantling nuclear plants. Iberdrola holds the majority of Almaraz, with a 53% stake.
While Spain has so far been moving forward on doing away with its nuclear plants, other European countries have reviewed their policies to grant greater support to nuclear power in the wake of the geopolitical tensions that have been hitting the continent’s energy market.
Newly-elected German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has reversed his nation’s long-standing opposition to the technology, and Italy has taken steps in the same direction. France, whose installed nuclear capacity of more than 61 gigawatts is the world’s second-largest only behind the US, announced in 2022 a plan to build six more reactors.
Almaraz’s owners would have to invest a total of about €20 million ($22.5 million) in the facility so that next year they can officially submit a proposal to extend its lifespan, and are seeking a nod from the government before going ahead, according to people with knowledge of the matter, who asked not to be named as the information isn’t public.
CNAT, the entity managing the power plant, is expected to meet in June, when the owners will have to take a unanimous decision about the future of the facilities. A ministerial order approved in 2019 stated that there would be no further extensions of Almaraz’s operations, but studies confirming its technical viability for 10 more years until 2030 have already been completed.
The Spanish government has recently signaled its openness to keep the country’s plants running, but only if their operators submit concrete proposals to do so.
Delaying the closing of Almaraz would most likely have an impact on other nuclear plants. The shutdown of two other reactors, Asco I and Cofrentes, is also expected in 2030. Dismantling four plants at the same time won’t be feasible for state-owned Enresa, the people said. The dismantling of the Santa Maria de Garona plant — the country’s smallest — which stopped operating in 2012 and was shut down five years later, is still ongoing.
Spain has installed nuclear capacity of 7.1 gigawatts and hasn’t contemplated any additional investment in the technology in its latest national energy plan, which runs though 2030 and has at its core an additional boost of wind and solar capacity. Renewable generation accounted for 57% of Spain’s energy mix last year.
Source: Bloomberg
