Spain keeps Almaraz nuclear reactors running until 2030

The Spanish government has extended operations at the Almaraz nuclear ‌plant until June 2030, Reuters reports.

Under Spain's plan to phase out its five nuclear power plants by 2035, the two reactors in Almaraz were due to be the first to begin decommissioning ​in 2027 and 2028.

The extension does not affect the rest of the decommissioning schedule, the document said, ​although some analysts expect other plants' operations will also be prolonged.

A widespread blackout ⁠in Spain and Portugal in April 2025 revived the debate over the future of nuclear power in Spain - which accounts ​for about one-fifth of Spain's total electricity generation - with energy companies and business lobbies calling for a ​review of the planned phaseout.

Multiple investigations blamed the blackout on a surge in voltage.

The government's order, however, did not refer to the outage, citing instead the more recent impact of the Iran war on fossil fuel supplies and prices.

An energy ministry source ​dismissed any link between the extension and the blackout.

The government's decision follows an extension request filed ​last year by the plant's owners, Iberdrola (IBE.MC), opens new tab, Endesa (ELE.MC), opens new tab and Naturgy (NTGY.MC), opens new tab, and a favourable report, with some conditions to be met, ‌issued ⁠last month by the country's nuclear safety council.

Spain's Socialist-led government has set out ambitious green targets, championing a speedy transition to a zero-carbon economy and basing energy policies on an extensive deployment of renewable energy such as solar and wind.

Nuclear plants generate carbon-free energy and provide steady baseload power ​to supplement intermittent renewable ​power.

The document said the ⁠Almaraz extension would limit the deployment of renewable energy sources by just 1.4% compared with current climate plans. Natural gas-fired power generation should decline by 7%.

The ​industry has long campaigned for lower taxes for nuclear energy, saying the taxes ​hinder the ⁠plants' competitiveness. The extension is not accompanied by any tax reduction and would not mean extra costs for taxpayers, the Energy Ministry said.

By Vafa Guliyeva