Spain Extends Almaraz Nuclear Power Plant Operating License to 2030

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On August 14, the Spanish government published Order TED/864/2026 in the Official State Gazette, extending the operating licenses for Units 1 and 2 of the Almaraz Nuclear Power Plant to June 8, 2030. The two units were originally scheduled to cease operation on November 1, 2027, and October 31, 2028, respectively; this license renewal extends their operation by approximately 31 months and 19 months, respectively.

The Almaraz Nuclear Power Plant is operated by Centrales Nucleares Almaraz-Trillo (CNAT), with Iberdrola, Endesa, and Naturgy as project stakeholders. CNAT submitted a renewal application on October 30, 2025, requesting that both units continue operating until the current periodic safety review validity period expires. After completing assessments of operational status, safety documentation, and the long-term operation plan, the Spanish Nuclear Safety Council issued a conditional favorable opinion on July 16, 2026.

Both units employ Westinghouse pressurized water reactor technology, with a licensed thermal power of 2,947 MW per unit and a combined net electrical capacity of approximately 2,017 MW. Units 1 and 2 entered commercial operation in 1983 and 1984, respectively, generating approximately 15,400 GWh combined in 2025. The renewal order revokes the original operating licenses issued in 2020 but does not alter the shutdown schedule for Spain's remaining nuclear units, with the final phase-out of all nuclear facilities still set for 2035.

In the license document, the Spanish government links this adjustment to changes in the international energy market. Its sensitivity analysis projects that, by 2030, the continued operation of Almaraz will reduce renewable electricity generation by approximately 1.4% compared to the National Energy and Climate Plan scenario, while gas combined-cycle generation will decrease by approximately 7%. The adjusted energy mix will still keep Spain's share of renewables in final energy consumption above the EU target requirements.

The radioactive waste management agency Enresa has assessed that the additional waste generated by the extended operation is minimal, requiring no expansion of existing or under-construction storage facilities and incurring no additional costs for consumers or public finances. The operator must continue to comply with nuclear safety, radiation protection, spent fuel, and radioactive waste management requirements under the new license, while the existing physical protection license must be renewed separately before its original validity period expires.

Under the license conditions, CNAT must submit, no later than one year before June 8, 2030, its nuclear safety and radiation protection plan for the period between shutdown and the granting of a decommissioning license, and continue decommissioning preparation work with Enresa. Additionally, within one month after each unit enters a new operating cycle, the operator must submit the next refueling plan to the energy regulatory authority.