Spanish nuclear industry calls for rethink of phase-out policy
Companies representing the Spanish nuclear industry have signed a manifesto calling for the long-term operation of the country's nuclear power plants. Under current plans, Spain's power reactors are all scheduled to shut by 2035.
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Spain's seven operating nuclear power reactors - Almaraz I and II, Ascó I and II, Cofrentes, Trillo and Vandellós II - generate about 20% of its electricity. Under the country's nuclear phase-out plans, agreed in 2019, four reactors are scheduled to close by the end of 2030, while the remaining three reactors will shut by 2035.
The manifesto - signed by 32 companies, including Empresarios Agrupados-GHESA (EAG), Framatome, GDES, GE Vernova, IDOM and Westinghouse - says: "We urge the initiation of a dialogue and renegotiation of the 2019 agreement on the phased shutdown of nuclear power plants. This agreement was made under an industrial, geopolitical, social and economic context that is vastly different from today's reality.
"Our industrial network must not see its competitiveness reduced due to the decision to shut down nuclear power plants starting in 2027, beginning with the Almaraz nuclear power plant, without first securing a viable alternative involving all CO2-free energy sources."
The signatories call on the Spanish government and relevant authorities to revise the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan to incorporate measures ensuring the continuity of nuclear energy. "This energy source must be recognised as reliable, efficient and competitive, with low carbon emissions, and should receive fair treatment to encourage investment," they say.
The companies say that extending the operation of Spain's nuclear power plants "would ensure the sustainability of our increasingly demanding energy system without jeopardising security of supply or the expansion of renewable infrastructures. Additionally, it would reinforce geostrategic independence from other nations".
However, the manifesto notes that to achieve this "it is crucial to ensure the economic viability of nuclear power plants, with a special emphasis on the excessive tax burden imposed on the sector".
Spanish nuclear power plants, it says, have been modernised and are capable of operating for many more years, "up to 60 or even 80, in line with global trends".
The document notes the auxiliary industry that supports Spain's nuclear sector generates nearly 20,000 stable, highly-skilled jobs including engineering firms, component manufacturers and support services. "The premature dismantling of these infrastructures would deal an irreparable economic and social blow to the regions where they operate," it says.
"The early closure of nuclear power plants will entail a high environmental and economic cost, affecting citizens and destroying thousands of jobs in the industry and associated sectors. Additionally, it will cause an irreparable loss of technological resources and human capital, weakening the country's ability to maintain a competitive and sustainable energy infrastructure."
Earlier this month, the Plenary Session of the Spanish Congress approved a proposal calling for the government to implement a series of measures that would reverse the country's decision to phase out nuclear power. The proposal, presented by the right-wing People's Party, was passed on 12 February, with 171 votes in favour, 164 against and 14 abstentions.
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