Reynés (Naturgy) calls for a rethinking of the nuclear closure plan

BarcelonaFor several years now, the nuclear shutdown has lost momentum, with a war in Ukraine upsetting the order of priorities, opening the door to extending the life of this energy and leaving behind the widespread commitment to speeding up the energy transition. In this context, the electricity companies, owners of the nuclear power plants, are calling for a rethinking of the roadmap they agreed upon, which provided for a shutdown schedule between 2027 and 2035.

Reynés, speaking at the World in Progress forum, organized by the Prisa group. "In 2019, the nuclear shutdown schedule was proposed, and we participated in it, taking into account the planning of an energy supply and demand curve that made it feasible while also guaranteeing security of supply, but many things have happened during this period," he added.

For Reynés, nuclear energy is "a great solution," thanks to its stable generation costs and its zero CO₂ emissions. But its drawback, as he emphasized, is the waste it generates. In fact, in this extension of the nuclear energy schedule, the electricity companies are asking to reduce what they pay for its management to the public company Enresa (the state's radioactive waste company). "We must find a solution that makes the use of this energy compatible with proper waste management," he said.

Regarding the nuclear closure schedule, Reynés emphasized that "nothing is irreversible," except for the shutdown of the Almaraz plant—owned by Iberdrola, Endesa, and Naturgy—scheduled between 2027 and 2028. However, he did request zero of the schedule. "Given that the rest of the facilities are authorized to operate for at least 10 years, it makes perfect sense to bring it to 2030. That would give us time to revisit all the objectives. I'm not saying it means maintaining them or closing them, but rather recalculating the numbers. The things they've done."

The electrical system: "Much more than Red Eléctrica"

The April 28th blackout was also featured in this morning's debate. After Reynés, it was the turn of the president of Redeia, Beatriz Corredor, who called for guarantees that all stakeholders in the electricity sector "fulfill their obligations" to ensure the stability of the electrical system.

"The Spanish electricity system is the best in the world, but the electricity system is much more than just Red Eléctrica," argued the president of Redeia, who has been at the center of the controversy. "Once we are guaranteed that everyone complies, we will all be much calmer," she emphasized.