{"id":30975,"date":"2026-02-23T15:52:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T14:52:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.revistanuclear.es\/?p=30975"},"modified":"2026-02-23T15:52:17","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T14:52:17","slug":"notes-on-the-closure-of-the-almaraz-nuclear-power-plant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.revistanuclear.es\/en\/installations\/notes-on-the-closure-of-the-almaraz-nuclear-power-plant\/","title":{"rendered":"Notes on the closure of the Almaraz nuclear power plant"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/span>SEE FULL VERSION<\/span><\/a>
<\/div>T<\/span>he operating licences of the two units of the Almaraz nuclear power plant expire in November 2027 (Almaraz I) and October 2028 (Almaraz II), in line with the timetable established in the 2019 Protocol<\/strong> and reflected in Spain\u2019s National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP)<\/strong> for 2030. However, the request by the plant owners to extend operation until June 2030 has reopened the debate on whether maintaining the plant in operation would better serve the general interest<\/strong>. This article examines this issue from a realistic assessment of the Spanish electricity system<\/strong> through the end of the decade.<\/span><\/p>\n
More gas, more costs, and more emissions<\/h5>\n

The main conclusion is that closing Almaraz would likely increase both emissions<\/strong> and supply costs<\/strong>. The electricity no longer generated by the plant would need to be replaced, to a greater extent than foreseen in the NECP, by a more intensive use of combined-cycle<\/strong> gas turbines (CCGTs). The NECP itself assumes very limited operation of CCGTs by 2030, below 10% of equivalent full-load hours, which would require additional capacity mechanisms and therefore entail further regulatory costs.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Ciclos