The power outage intensifies the political struggle over nuclear power.

BarcelonaMonday's blackout, The explosion, which left the entire Iberian Peninsula in darkness for hours, has intensified the political debate over the lifespan of nuclear power plants. This debate is dividing the right and the left, and has already swept through both the Spanish and Catalan legislatures, in addition to pitting the Spanish and Catalan governments against employers' associations. The People's Party (PP) and Vox took the most explicit stand and demanded that Spanish President Pedro Sánchez fully reverse the nuclear plant closure plan. planned between 2027 and 2035, assuming—despite the fact that neither the authorities nor the technicians have clarified the causes of Monday's incident—that renewable energies have something to do with the general blackout. As Alberto Núñez Feijóo has reflected in recent hours: if after the blackout, the Spanish government does not extend the useful life of the plants, it will be "absolute nonsense." Vox has added: "Policies have been imposed to destroy nuclear power plants."

This Wednesday, Iberdrola's chairman, Ignacio Sánchez Galán, hammered the point home, taking the opportunity to once again defend the role of nuclear power plants as a "solution" to stabilizing the electricity system: "They are efficient and safe and represent the solution." On the other hand, Repsol's CEO, Josu Jon Imaz, was more cautious: "I don't want to speculate about the root of the problem. There is a public inquiry underway, and we prefer to wait and respect the conclusions of the study."

So far, Sánchez has denied the majority and, in his appearances, has rejected the idea that renewable energy is to blame for the blackout. "Anyone who links the incident to the lack of nuclear power is either lying or demonstrating ignorance. The recovery of supply has occurred through interconnections with Morocco, France, combined-cycle gas plants, and hydroelectric plants," he stated categorically. Also this Tuesday, in the press conference following the Cabinet meeting, the Minister of Ecological Transition, Sara Aagesen, defended renewable energy: "They allow us to speak of strategic autonomy. We are talking about an indigenous resource, the sun and wind, which we have in our country. I assure you, we don't have fossil fuels: we don't have fossil fuels."

In any case, one of his parliamentary partners is already pressuring him to shape his discourse. Juntos has filed written questions in both Congress and the Senate to reopen the debate and reconsider the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC), which establishes the closure of the power plants starting in 2035, approved with the approval of Brussels. Specifically, it urges the Spanish government to take the necessary steps to obtain timely authorizations to extend the licenses for the plants to continue operating. Also from the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party), the former president of Aragon, and always critical of Sánchez, Javier Lambán, told X that it is not "reasonable" to do away with nuclear power plants.

This isn't a new debate in Madrid, as the People's Party (PP) recently won a parliamentary victory on this issue. Congress approved a non-legislative motion urging the executive branch to extend the useful life of nuclear power plants, with the support of the People's Party (PP), Vox, and UPN, but Junts and Esquerra also abstained. Carles Puigdemont's party, beyond the ideological debate and alignment with employers' organizations, also has leaders in the region who favor nuclear power. The same is true for Esquerra. As explained by AHORAThe two pro-independence parties, with mayoralties in Camp de Tarragona, where the Vandellós and Ascó power plants are located, are calling for the continuation of this type of energy. But for now, both the Spanish and Catalan governments They assure that the closing schedule of nuclear power is what is already planned and approved.

Island-Fomento clash

This debate is also shaking up the Catalan scene and deepening the rift between the business community and some of the PSC government's measures. A brief but explicit episode this Tuesday at the Palau de la Generalitat exemplifies this. "Nuclear," Isla openly and bluntly contradicted him: "It's hasty and lacking in rigor." This is not their first encounter in recent months, as the Ministry of Public Works has criticized decisions such as the €900,000 increase in the tourist tax—whose entry into force has been postponed until the approval of the Plus bill. of "tripartite" and of "poverty and decline".