Catalonia Maintains Nuclear Phase-Out Plan

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On August 25, the government of Catalonia, Spain, confirmed that it will continue to advance the phase-out of the Ascó and Vandellòs nuclear power units in accordance with the Catalan Energy Outlook 2050 (PROENCAT 2050), and will not adjust its existing plans in response to the Spanish government's recent extension of the operating period for the Almaraz nuclear power plant. Under the current closure schedule, Ascó I is planned to cease operation in 2030, Ascó II in 2032, and Vandellòs II around 2035.

The Catalan government stated that the basis of its current work remains the established nuclear phase-out scenario. If the operators of Ascó or Vandellòs formally submit an application for an operating extension in the future, the matter will be handled by the Spanish central government and energy authorities in accordance with nuclear power plant operating license procedures. Therefore, this statement does not mean that the closure dates have become final administrative decisions that cannot be adjusted, but rather that Catalonia has not, at this stage, initiated any modification to its nuclear phase-out plan.

This statement follows closely on the decision to extend the operating period of the Almaraz nuclear power plant. On August 14, the Spanish government approved an operating extension for Units I and II of Almaraz, with the two units receiving extensions of 31 months and 19 months respectively, and the new operating licenses uniformly valid until June 8, 2030. Spain's energy authorities characterized this extension as a limited adjustment under the special circumstances of the energy market, and explicitly stated that the decision does not currently alter the overall timeframe for all Spanish nuclear power units to cease operation by 2035.

For Catalonia, the nuclear phase-out involves a substantial scale of electricity replacement. In 2025, local electricity generation totaled 42.341 billion kWh, of which nuclear power accounted for 55.8%, remaining the largest source of generation; renewable energy generation reached 9.001 billion kWh, accounting for 21.3%. As of the end of 2025, Catalonia's installed renewable energy capacity stood at 5,341.4 MW, including 1,985.8 MW of solar PV, 1,405.9 MW of wind power, and 1,822.3 MW of hydropower.

PROENCAT 2050 directly links the nuclear phase-out with the progress of new energy development. Using 2017 as the base year, the plan proposes adding approximately 12 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030, including about 5 GW of wind power and 7 GW of solar PV; by 2050, installed renewable energy capacity is further increased to approximately 61.86 GW. The plan also identifies energy storage, grid interconnection, demand-side management, and new renewable generation capacity as key supporting conditions for the timely nuclear phase-out.

Proceeding in parallel with the nuclear phase-out is Catalonia's spatial planning for wind and solar power. The region is currently developing the PLATER territorial plan for wind and solar generation, which will determine suitable areas for future large-scale renewable facilities, transmission lines, and storage installations. The first round of public consultation has received 12,143 comments and objections. The Catalan government has denied that the plan has been suspended, and intends to conduct another round of public consultation after completing the assessment of and revisions based on the first round of feedback.

Based on the current schedule, Ascó I is only about four years away from its planned shutdown, while nuclear power still accounts for more than half of Catalonia's local electricity generation. Whether local wind, solar, storage, and grid projects can deliver new power supply capacity in accordance with the PROENCAT plan in the coming years will directly determine the actual implementation of the phase-out timeline for the three nuclear units between 2030 and 2035.