The State rejects an initial proposal from Endesa and Iberdrola to extend nuclear power plants.

MadridEndesa and Iberdrola have made moves to extend the useful life of nuclear power plants, including the Almaraz I plant in Cáceres, which is the first to be shut down, in November 2027. For now, however, the attempt has been derailed. Both companies have submitted a proposal to the Ministry for Ecological Transition, which the Ministry has rejected—according to sources from this ministry who spoke to ARA—because it "does not meet the red lines" that Pedro Sánchez's administration has put on the table for assessing the extension of the useful life of this technology. Specifically, the Spanish government's three red lines are: ensuring safety for people and security of supply, and ensuring that the decision does not entail additional costs for citizens.

"The letter is a declaration of intent that does not comply with the three red lines established by the Spanish government for processing a formal request [to modify the closure schedule for nuclear power plants]," the same sources indicate.

The ministry headed by Sara Aagesen confirms that it has received the letter in which Endesa and Iberdrola propose extending the useful life of some nuclear power plants and clarifies that the letter has not been signed by either Naturgy or EDP, the other two energy companies that have signed the closing protocol1 agreement. "In some nuclear power plants, including Almaraz, there is a community of property that requires unanimity of all participants regardless of their percentage of participation [in the plant]," the ministry recalls. In the case of Almaraz, Iberdrola is the majority shareholder with 52.7% of the capital, while Endesa has a 36% stake and Naturgy, 11.3%.

As explained Five Days, the electricity companies have presented a proposal to revise the nuclear timeline, which would leave the closure date for the plants in 2035, but modify the planned deadlines halfway through. This calls for extending the life of the Almaraz plant in Extremadura, the first planned for closure, until 2030. This, in the companies' eyes, would imply an 18% reduction in the so-called Enresa tax, since the revenue is divided over more years. The Enresa tax is payments to finance the cost of managing radioactive waste and dismantling the infrastructure in the future, and is one of the main challenges in closing the plants.

Open door of the Spanish government

In recent weeks, the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, and the Minister for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Sara Aagesen, have opened the door to studying an extension of the useful life of nuclear power plants, although they have always linked this to strict conditions. At the beginning of May, coinciding with the appearance of April 28, the Spanish Prime Minister stated that extending the operation of nuclear power plants beyond 2035 could be considered as long as the cost did not fall on consumers, but on the "ultra-rich who preside over the energy companies," he emphasized.