THREE of Spain’s leading energy companies are considering requesting a three-year extension to the operational life of the country’s largest nuclear power plant, according to reports.
Currently, the first reactor at Almaraz Nuclear Power Plant in central Spain is set to cease operations on November 1, 2027 – but executives from Iberdrola, Endesa and Naturgy, who share ownership of the nuclear power station, want to push that date back.
The proposal comes after the Partido Popular-run regional Extremadura government agreed to slash an environmental tax paid by the plant.
Almaraz currently pays an annual rate of over €80 million – but that would fall to around €15 million under plans put forward by the region’s president, Maria Guardiola.
The decision to cut the environmental levy is a political concession to Vox.
READ MORE: Nuclear power plant in Spain temporarily shut down after ‘leak in cooling system’ identified
Without an absolute majority, Guardiola’s PP is reliant on Vox’s support to pass key measures – but the far-right party says it will not back her annual budget unless the tax is reduced.
Vox is strongly opposed to Spain’s nuclear phase-out, arguing that it makes the national grid reliant on imported energy and takes away local jobs.
Without fiscal relief, the three companies say that the burden of both the local environmental tax and a national levy that funds nuclear waste management makes it almost impossible for the plant’s continued operation to be financially viable.
To press ahead with the extension, the owners of the plant must send documentation to the Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) by the end of the month.
The proposal must all satisfy three ‘red lines’ set by the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge (MITECO).
These include a guarantee to continue to implement high security standards, secure the electricity supply and ensure the move does not result in higher costs for consumers.
READ MORE: Spain and Portugal’s April power blackout caused by excessive voltage
Iberdrola and Endesa initially pressed ahead with the proposal in June, but the plan fell apart without the support of Naturgy and a failure to comply with MITECO’s binding criteria.
The owners argue that closing a significant source of secure power would be unwise, especially given this April’s unprecedented blackout.
The former chair of Spain’s grid operator REE, Jordi Sevilla, said earlier this year that the decision to close down Almaraz’s nuclear reactors would ‘put electricity supply at risk’.
The European power lobby ENTSO-E has also warned that pressing ahead with the closure would increase the risk of blackouts.
Earlier this month, ENTSO-E said the blackout was caused by excessive voltage, swatting away allegations that Spain’s increasing reliance on renewable energy.
But Spain has still turned to more traditional forms of energy since April’s power cut – despite prime minister Pedro Sanchez’s determination to up the use of renewables.
Gas demand to generate electricity soared almost 37% in the first nine months of 2024, according to data published by gas grid operator Enagas on Tuesday.
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