SPAIN NUCLEAR SECTOR

The Spanish nuclear infrastructure is composed of seven operating reactors in five sites. During 2019, the seven Spanish nuclear reactors produced 55,843 GWh of energy, which accounts for almost 22 percent of the total electricity produced in Spain. Dismantling Spanish nuclear plants will need an investment of over USD 20 billion.

Although nuclear energy in Spain is the leader in electricity production, generating more than a fifth of the electricity consumed, the Spanish electricity system is switching towards a sustainable energy model that in 2019 reached 52 percent and, for the first time, exceeded the other generation technologies in the Spanish Peninsula.

The country’s draft national climate and energy plan establishes a timetable for the closure of its seven operational nuclear plants between 2027 and 2035. According to the waste management program, dismantling each plant could be carried out within a ten-year period with the process completed by 2048.

The cost of dismantling Spain’s nuclear power plants and managing spent fuel could be as much as USD 4.4 billion, just for dismantling the installations, according to ENRESA, the Spanish State-owned company that manages all the radioactive waste in the country.  Enresa’s calculation does not include the management of radioactive waste in the post-closure phase of the nuclear power plants, as this would raise the bill to USD 16.7 billion.

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