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Spain postpones closure of Almaraz nuclear plant, will operate until 2030
2026-08-14 13:00:00 / BOTA
The Spanish government has decided to extend the operation of the Almaraz nuclear power plant, the largest in the country, until June 8, 2030.
The decision was published in the state's Official Gazette and comes after months of debate over the future of nuclear energy in Spain.
The two Almaraz reactors, which were inaugurated in the early 1980s, were scheduled to close in 2027 and 2028, respectively. Their fate has been at the center of a fierce debate between the companies that own the plant, Iberdrola, Endesa and Naturgy, and the government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
The Spanish government has long stated that it intends to phase out nuclear power by 2030. However, the energy situation in the country has changed significantly after the large and unprecedented power outage that hit the Iberian Peninsula in April 2025.
Following this incident, as well as the impact of the war in the Middle East on international energy markets, the debate over the security of Spain's energy supply has reopened.
The country has increasingly relied on renewable sources, particularly solar and wind power. However, critics of the plan to close nuclear plants argue that removing them too quickly could create risks to the electricity supply.
In mid-July, the Spanish Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) gave a positive opinion on extending the operation of Almaraz, located in the Extremadura region. Last year, the plant produced around 7% of Spain's electricity.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez had set several conditions for a possible extension of operation, including fully guaranteeing the safety of the reactors and avoiding additional costs for taxpayers.
Almaraz was scheduled to close in 2028, according to agreements reached in 2019. But after the major power outage in 2025, nuclear industry professionals and representatives have called for the closure to be postponed, warning of potential risks to energy supplies.
Spain has had a significant role for nuclear energy in the past. At the peak of its nuclear development, in the 1980s, the country had eight plants, which provided around 38% of its electricity production.
Today, Spain has five nuclear power plants with a total of seven reactors, which in 2025 provided about 19% of the country's electricity mix.
At the same time, renewable sources have taken on an increasingly important role. They provided almost 60% of Spain's electricity production last year.
Pedro Sánchez's government aims to increase this percentage to 81% by 2030, as the country faces the challenge of maintaining energy security while transitioning to a system based primarily on renewable sources.
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