The Spanish Congress of Deputies has taken a decisive step that could significantly influence the country’s energy future. With the votes of the PP and Vox, a bill to extend the operating lives of nuclear power plants has been approved. This decision, which faces strong opposition from the governing coalition, ignites a heated debate about supply security, renewable energy, and the role of nuclear power in Spain.
Heated Parliamentary Debate: Arguments for and Against Nuclear Energy
The decision to extend the lifespans of Spanish nuclear power plants was passed with 171 votes in favor from PP and Vox, seven abstentions from Junts, and a clear no from PSOE, Sumar, and the remaining coalition partners. The legislative proposal, reported by Europa Press, aims to redefine the conditions for the operation and decommissioning of nuclear facilities. It introduces criteria for supply security under various scenarios, always under the premise of ensuring nuclear safety.
A central component of the initiative is the update of Enresa’s General Plan for Radioactive Waste. This adjustment is intended to allow for an extension of another ten years beyond what was originally stipulated in the memorandum of understanding for the orderly shutdown of the plants. Furthermore, the draft proposes a revision of the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC) to better incorporate the principle of technological neutrality.
PP Deputy Juan Diego Requena strongly defended the motion: “This government cannot make the transcendent decision of nuclear shutdown, which will create an irreversible problem in the electricity system, so the problem will be taken over by another executive in a few months.” He refuted the PSOE’s arguments against an extension of operating life, stating that both the Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) and the European Union (EU) consider the safety of nuclear power plants to be guaranteed with regular safety reviews. Requena also emphasized that Red Eléctrica itself indicates that the shutdown of nuclear power has direct implications for the security of electricity supply. He ironically referred to the statement by Sara Aagesen, Third Vice President and Minister for Ecological Transition, that the electricity system operates in “reinforced mode,” which multiplies the costs of adaptation services. He demanded that the expansion of nuclear energy should not entail higher costs for citizens.
Government Opponents Strongly Criticize Nuclear Power Plans
Coalition partners BNG, Podemos, and EH-Bildu strongly opposed nuclear power plants and the PP’s plans for lifetime extension. Néstor Rego, BNG deputy, recalled that Galicia said “no” to this form of energy decades ago and continues to do so. He questioned the “economic interests” behind the “nuclear obsession of the far-right and the climate-denying far-right.”
Mikel Otero Gabirondo, EH Bildu deputy, branded the PP’s bill a “pamphlet” without “legal basis,” which endangers the ecological transition and can only be implemented by “reaching into people’s pockets” through electricity bills. Martina Verlarde of Podemos urged the government to “clear all doubts” and guarantee “strict” compliance with the nuclear power plant shutdown schedule. She warned emphatically: “What truly worries us is that the government’s hand is beginning to tremble in the face of the pressure from the nuclear lobby and also in the face of the pressure from their spokesmen on the right and far-right.”
Catalonia Demands Just Transition and Clear Plans
Idoia Sagastizabal Unzetabarrenetxea of the EAJ-PNV pointed out that the debate was “not about nuclear energy yes or no,” but about how to promote competitiveness with lower energy costs. Regarding Catalonia, which has a greater dependence on nuclear energy, she noted that it is “time” to develop transition plans to minimize the impact of nuclear power plant closures on the economy and employment. She warned against changing the regulatory framework “from time to time” if a “stable and sustainable” ecological transition is desired.
ERC and JxCat called for a “just transition.” Pilar Calvo Gómez of JxCat asked what the government would do given the expected increase in electricity demand in Catalonia in the coming years. “In reality, we have to ask ourselves how we are going to do this, because with this attitude of the central government and the absence of Illa, it seems as if the Catalans are once again being left without solutions or answers,” she lamented. They announced that they would submit an amendment if the bill was considered for debate, as the nuclear calendar cannot be discussed without efforts towards a renewable future and a just transition for the region. Teresa Jordà i Roura, ERC deputy, stated that her party does not defend the extension of the lifespan of nuclear power plants, but does not want an improvised closure “that endangers the economy and the life of the territory” because the PP and PSOE governments “were not able to do their homework.” The ERC demands that if this timetable is finally to be reviewed, a transition to renewable energies be ensured, an urgent and effective reindustrialization plan be implemented in nuclear areas, and truly solid job protection for affected workers be carried out.
Vox Criticizes Nuclear Power Plant Management, PSOE Sees Renewables as the Future
José María Figaredo Álvarez-Sala, Vox deputy, criticized the PSOE for its “open attack on the nuclear system” and the PP, which does “the opposite” of what it writes when in government. He emphasized that his party had demanded the abolition of the tax on nuclear power in Valencia and the PP had declared that it would be abolished from January 1, 2027. He also highlighted that electricity consumption would “multiply” in the coming decades, not least due to the “intensive” consumption of Artificial Intelligence. “If it were to go as it should, Spain’s electricity consumption will multiply by three or four in the coming years. And for that, we need to achieve a constant supply. This cannot be achieved today unless it is with nuclear power plants,” he warned.
Eloi Badia Casas of Sumar criticized the PP for proposing to the Congress to “roll out a red carpet” and “make a tailored suit of 2,000 million” euros for Endesa, Iberdrola, and Naturgy, even though these companies “manipulated offers to increase electricity prices, used privileged information to increase their profits, and acted as a cartel by agreeing on prices to set higher profit margins to swell their billions in profits.”
Finally, PSOE deputy Andreu Martín Martínez accused the PP of having said that the bank bailout would “not cost” Spaniards, although it was ultimately paid for by society “for everyone.” He pointed out that Alberto Núñez Feijóo’s party now wants nuclear waste to be paid “forever.” He emphasized: “Renewable energies are high-quality jobs. They allow for a greater variety of initiatives and investors. It positions us globally. Allows for cheaper prices. This makes us less vulnerable to the geopolitical situation. This is the future.”
