The Spanish Nuclear Society (SNE), an association made up of professionals and institutions in the sector, has claimed that “Spain has to stop going against the grain with nuclear energy.”
On the occasion of its 35th day, the voices to conserve this energy have not been long in coming, arguing that it is, strategic, safe, emission-free and which still represents a good percentage of the electricity consumed in Spain.
At the meeting operational results were presented of nuclear power plants in 2023 and the positioning of sector professionals in defense of nuclear power plants as a source of strategic energy in Spain.
20% of Spanish electricity
According to the latest reports, the association explains that “the Spanish nuclear park has demonstrated its role in guaranteeing electricity supply” and that the seven reactors that are operating in Spain: (Almaraz I and Almaraz II, Ascó I and Ascó II, Cofrentes , Trillo and Vandellós II) have contributed 54,275.01 GWh to the system, a figure that represents 20.34% of the total net electricity production.
«The nuclear It is a safe, stable energy and that ensures the supply of electricity,” stressed the president of the SNE, Emilio Mínguez, explaining that, “with an installed power of 7,117 MW, 5.71% of the total, nuclear energy has contributed, as in the entire last decade, more than 20% of the electricity produced in Spain.
In addition, they stress that lSpanish nuclear power plants have been available practically 90% of the hours of the yearwhich shows that it is a guarantee for supply.
Key to zero emissions
Among the values that have stood out, on the other hand, nuclear energy represented almost 30% of electricity without greenhouse gas emissions in 2023.
In this sense, it is emphasized that “nuclear power plants They prevent the emission of about 20 million tons of CO₂ annuallyso its role is key in the NetZero objective.
According to Mínguez, “nuclear energy was included last year in the negotiated text of COP28 as one of the technologies necessary to achieve the objectives of the Paris Agreement».
Reevaluate the closure of nuclear plants
There was also discussion about the plan to close the nuclear power plants, a point in which experts consider that the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC) “It must be re-evaluated with technical and realistic criteria, adjusted to current needs.”
The SNE emphasizes that the PNIEC was born to “comply with the decarbonisation objectives that are proposed within the framework of the European Commission, reducing emissions in a sustainable, safe and competitive way.
Review of the PNIEC
However, the president of the SNE maintained that circumstances have changed a lot relative to when the plan was signed in 2019.
The SNE affirms that “the technical bases on which it was developed the PNIEC are not being met and the reasonable thing would be, before dispensing with nuclear, to clearly explain how we will replace it to put all the cards on the table.
Closure of Almaraz
About the closure of Almaraz I, which will be turned off definitively in 2027, “if we do not reverse it,” the sector warns, a gross production of 8,024 GWh will be lost. 2023 has been, according to the plant itself, its third best historical figure since the beginning of its commercial operation in 1983.
For the SNE, it is emphasized that Almaraz covers 7% of the annual electricity demandgenerating each year the equivalent of the consumption of 4 million Spanish homes.
Furthermore, they highlight that «is positioned in the highest category of the WANO (World Association of Nuclear Operators) assessment for its good functioning and operation and all of this is the result of a sustained investment over time to guarantee the reliability of the plant and a perfectly prepared human team.
Spain, against the current
The Spanish Nuclear Society highlights that in Europe and the rest of the world “nuclear energy is included in the energy design of its future due to competitiveness, guarantee of supply and commitment to decarbonization” and that Spain cannot go against the current with nuclear energy.
Right now, France In Europe, it heads a Nuclear Alliance made up of 15 countries: Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia and Sweden.
Likewise, the SNE recalls that the European Parliament considers nuclear as an energy without emissions and the European Investment Bank (EIB) considers nuclear in the possible projects to be financed. To reaffirm the position that Spain cannot go against the current with nuclear weapons, Mínguez expressed that “we go in the opposite direction, and we are left very alone in our position. Going in the opposite direction is an unnecessary risk that we cannot afford».
Loss of talent
The president of the SNE valued the facilities, but also claimed with special emphasis the intangible, but incalculable, value of the nuclear professionals.
Along these lines, Mínguez expressed that “if we turn off the nuclear power plants we will also lose that talentthat preparation, that human capital of highly trained professionals who are one of the key pieces sought by countries that are beginning to develop their nuclear projects.
Furthermore, he stressed the importance of the industry and the nuclear sector, warning that “developing and consolidating this highly specialized industry requires a lot of investment and specialization and Spain has known how to create an industry “which has a strategic value and must preserve this heritage.”