Madrid is set to move on as Spain’s socialist government confirmed just before Christmas that it will begin completely phase out nuclear power from 2027, despite opposition claims that the country is not ready for a post-nuclear future. This appears to be going against recent European trends regarding nuclear power.
It was one of the first countries in Europe to introduce nuclear energy, and nuclear power now accounts for about one-fifth of Spain’s energy consumption. Despite nuclear power’s increasing importance since the 1960s, the Sánchez government aims to complete its closure by 2035. Spain currently has five nuclear power plants in operation. Shutdowns for “environmental reasons” are a long-standing goal of the country’s anti-nuclear left.
The Almaraz nuclear power plant on the Portuguese border will be the first power plant to be shut down in 2027 under the Spanish government’s plan. The Spanish government has already drawn up a €20 billion roadmap to clean up radioactive waste in various locations.
Nuclear power featured prominently in recent Spanish elections, with Sanchez’s PSOE socialist party (along with many parties on the left) supporting the closure of nuclear power plants. In contrast, right-wing groups such as VOX and Partido Popular oppose the closure, arguing that heavily subsidized green technologies cannot make up for energy shortages.
Heads of Spanish energy companies admit there are no technical obstacles to extending the lifespan of their facilities, but the Spanish government pursues an anti-nuclear strategy in the hope that hydrogen fuel will fill a gap in the market. chose to do so.
Shutting down the country’s nuclear reactors has been a goal of the Spanish left for 50 years, with terrorist attacks in the Basque Country famously forcing the closure of the Lemonis nuclear power plant in 1983, resulting in a decline in new nuclear power generation nationwide. Construction has been temporarily halted.
Many Energy Department officials acknowledge that the continued existence of nuclear power plants will inhibit public and private investment in renewable energy. Spain also wants to close its remaining coal-fired power plants by 2030, in parallel with its anti-nuclear drive.
The government claims Spain’s nuclear sector is old, expensive and environmentally unfriendly, and that the ruling socialists have a clear anti-nuclear stance at EU level.
Despite pressure from the EU and the US to import record amounts of Russian gas, Spain last year announced that it has been forced to invest in a variety of renewable energy sources following a spat with its traditional energy partner Algeria. Shaken by scandal.
Due to the technical nature of the shutdown, Spain can only halt the shutdown until 2024, with both the populist party VOX and the conservative Partido Popular party calling the decision short-sighted given Europe’s energy challenges. It is claimed that.
Spain’s shift in anti-nuclear policy comes amid criticism from industry experts of Germany’s ideologically motivated decision to phase out its nuclear reactors despite skyrocketing prices. Currently, 12 of the 27 EU countries use nuclear power, with Poland and Estonia the latest Eastern European countries to consider (with US funding) their choice of energy source.