A decision is expected later this year by the Spanish government on whether to award a three-year reprieve to Almaraz nuclear power plant's units 1 and 2. They are currently scheduled to be shut down in 2027 as part of the country's 2019 nuclear phase-out policy.

In this episode we hear from Marta Ugalde, President of Spanish Nuclear Industry Forum, Foro Nuclear, about the current situation with nuclear energy in Spain, and what the future might hold for an industry which has a rich history stretching back more than 60 years in the country.

Ugalde says that the three-year operating extension would allow time for  consideration of whether there should be a more fundamental change to the phase-out plan, noting that similar reactors in the US are now licensed to operate for 80 years. She also talks about what impact last year's blackout has had on the case for nuclear energy.

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 - including the two Almaraz ones - while the remaining three reactors will shut by 2035.

The Almaraz plant currently supplies more than 7% of the electricity consumed in Spain, equivalent to 4 million homes, and employs about 4,000 people. Almaraz units I and II are pressurised water reactors with a net capacity of 1011 MWe and 1006 MWe, respectively. Unit I entered commercial operation in 1983 with unit II following the next year. The plant is owned by Iberdrola (53%), Endesa (36%), and Naturgy (11%).

Key links to find out more:

World Nuclear News
ForoNuclear
Regulator requested to report on Almaraz licence extension
Nuclear Power in Spain
ForoNuclear highlights role of nuclear in Spanish energy mix 

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Episode credit:  Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production