Almaraz approaches its D-day with an uncertain future

BarcelonaIn November 2027, the nuclear reactor at the Almaraz I plant in Cáceres is expected to be shut down. And the Almaraz II reactor is expected to be shut down a few months later, in October 2028. This is stated in The schedule agreed upon in 2019 between the companies that own the Spanish nuclear power plants and Enresa, the public company that manages nuclear waste, is planning to gradually shut down all of the state's atomic reactors until this source of electricity is completely abandoned by 2035, with the closure of Vandellós II.

Therefore, there are still months to go before the shutdown of the Almaraz plant, the first affected by this closure plan. But there are growing calls to extend the life of this facility, and any possible extension must be decided now, possibly in the coming weeks. Extending the life of a nuclear power plant entails an investment, both in maintenance and in the purchase of uranium, for example, while shutting it down and preparing it for decommissioning requires another type of investment.

For the time being, the State is maintaining the closure plan, although when the schedule was agreed upon, it was based on forecasts for the development of renewable energy and, above all, storage capacity, which are included in the National Energy and Climate Plan (PINIEC), which are not being met. Furthermore, in 2019, the increase in electricity demand that is currently occurring was not calculated.

That's why the companies that own the plant—Endesa, Iberdrola, and Naturgy—are willing to extend its life, although there are nuances. Endesa's CEO, José Bogas, has requested—as he made explicit two weeks ago in Barcelona—a state pact to redefine the role of nuclear power plants, in which the Spanish government, the electricity companies, and also Endesa participate. But in the meantime, Endesa would be willing, in the specific case of Almaraz, to extend the life of that plant.

"Endesa is willing, if the conditions are met, to consider a hypothetical scenario of renewing the operating permit for Almaraz as a complement to the current closure scenario," say Endesa sources, who indicate that the closure protocol agreed in 2019 "must be reinterpreted in the light of the years." Endesa believes that nuclear power can play a role in ensuring security of supply until renewable energy and storage are sufficiently developed. Otherwise, this security of supply would have to be achieved through combined cycle plants, i.e., by burning gas, which would increase emissions and, in addition, maintain energy dependence and price volatility on fossil fuels.

Meanwhile, Iberdrola sources announced to Europa Press that the company will propose to CNAT (the acronym for Centrales Nucleares Almaraz-Trillo, the company that operates Almaraz and Trillo) to begin the necessary work to enable the extension of Almaraz's life. For the company chaired by Ignacio Sánchez-Galán, the execution of these works is necessary for the Nuclear Safety Council to issue a favorable report and, thus, enable its extension, provided that "the current fiscal conditions of nuclear power plants change," according to the company. "The future of the nuclear fleet requires a broad consensus among companies, administrations, political parties, workers, and citizens," say sources close to the company.

In this regard, he recalls that in recent months, numerous parliamentary initiatives have been approved in Spain, both at the regional and national levels, in favor of the continuity of the nuclear fleet. These initiatives are joined by the new bill presented by the PP in Congress, Iberdrola believes this could be an opportunity for Congress to debate and decide on the future of nuclear energy in the country. Additionally, a new bill has been announced in the Parliament of Extremadura with the aim of reducing regional taxes on this technology.

And Naturgy's CEO, Francisco Reynés, supported this month a truce on the closure schedule for the Almaraz nuclear plant, two and three years, respectively, for each of its reactors, as a solution for the plant.

Danger of blackouts

However, for the moment, the Spanish government does not seem willing to extend the life of nuclear plants. Pedro Sánchez's administration believes that extending the life of reactors would only increase the cost of radioactive waste management. So far, the Spanish government maintains that it has not received any formal requests from nuclear companies to change the closure schedule. "The schedule was agreed upon in 2019 and there is no news," said Minister for Ecological Transition Sara Aagesen in March.

Regarding possible investment in new-generation reactors, as other states are doing, the Spanish government is reluctant to invest, arguing that renewable capacity is more cost-efficient, according to an internal PSOE document cited by Bloomberg.

The European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (Entso-e, of which Red Eléctrica is a part) recently published the report European resource adequacy assessment (ERAA) 2024. In this report, in the Spanish case, it can be concluded that the risk of blackout increases in Spain if the nuclear closure of both Almaraz reactors is carried out. This report indicates that in the period 2026-2030 up to 9 GW of combined cycles would not be economically viable and, if their closure were authorized, the 22 GW of storage planned in the PNIEC would be necessary.

On the other hand, the executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), Fatih Birol, advocated last week, at an event organized by the Naturgy Foundation, to reconsider the current closure schedule for Spain's nuclear power plants. According to Birol, Spain should undertake this reflection because the closure of its plants is one of the three problems that have been identified. in Germany's energy policy.