The electric companies owning the Almaraz nuclear power plant welcome the Government’s decision to extend the operational life of the Extremadura energy facility until 2030, but they believe it could offer much more. As much as a total of 80 years of full operation.
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In a statement released by Centrales Nucleares Almaraz-Trillo (CNAT), the group formed by Iberdrola, Endesa, and Naturgy to operate Almaraz and also the Trillo plant (Guadalajara), these companies assert that the extension “represents recognition of the work carried out by the team of professionals at the Nuclear Power Plant, as well as the ongoing investment effort to improve its safety, update, and technological modernization.”
Iberdrola, through its subsidiary Iberdrola Generación Nuclear, owns 52.687% of Almaraz. Endesa holds 36.021%, and Naturgy the remaining 11.292%. These companies argue that this plant “is an essential infrastructure,” as well as “the main socioeconomic driver of its environment.” According to their data, the facility supplies more than 7% of the electricity consumed in Spain. They reiterate their commitment “to continue operating the Almaraz Nuclear Power Plant safely, reliably, efficiently, and maintaining the high standards that place it among the best plants in the world.”
Furthermore, they emphasize that the infrastructure is “in the best technical conditions,” and compare it to the twin nuclear plant North Anna, located in the state of Virginia (United States). This one, they say, “has obtained an operating license for 80 years.”
Two years ago, the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission renewed the operating licenses of the two units that make up the North Anna plant for an additional 20 years, extending their operational life until 2058 and 2060. At that time, each reactor will have completed 80 years of operation, since they began activity in 1978 and 1980.
Almaraz began operation in 1983, so by 2030 it will have been running for 47 years. Its owners indicate that the annual investment for its maintenance is 50 million euros.
As EL PAÍS reported in October, Iberdrola, Endesa, and Naturgy were considering formally requesting the Ministry for the Ecological Transition for a three-year extension for the facility, whose shutdown was scheduled for November 1 of next year for its first unit. They made this formal request on the 30th of that month.
“The decision to continue Almaraz until 2030 aligns with the strategic line set by the European Union, which supports maintaining nuclear plants in operation to guarantee the Union’s energy security and autonomy through the contribution to the continental electrical grid of a firm and synchronous source such as nuclear energy,” conclude the owners of Almaraz.
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