The announcement of the extension of the Almaraz nuclear power plant operation for three more years, until 2030, has already resonated among Catalan municipalities that expect a similar decision for their reactors. The mayors of Ascó and Vandellòs, Miquel Àngel Ribes and Assumpció Castellví, respectively, have welcomed this “good news” and expressed confidence that this extension will pave the way to also extend the schedule of the Catalan nuclear power plants.
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“It will cause a domino effect,” Castellví predicted about the impact of the measure. The mayor of Vandellòs i l’Hospitalet de l’Infant has argued that, when extending the useful life of nuclear power plants, “safety and technical criteria” must always prevail. If the Nuclear Safety Council endorses the continuity of the reactors, as has happened with Almaraz, “common sense” should also lead to extensions in Catalonia. “The good news is that politics has not prevailed over technical aspects,” she defended. In this regard, Castellví calls on the Generalitat to take a position and embrace the commitment to extending the nuclear plants.
The closure of Ascó I is scheduled for 2030, followed by Ascó II in 2032, and Vandellòs II in 2035. “We want safe plants and, if that is the case, we see no reason to oppose this extension,” said the mayor of Ascó, Miquel Àngel Ribes. Nuclear power remains the main source of electricity production in Catalonia, with 55.8% of the total. Therefore, Ribes reminds that it continues to be necessary to guarantee the supply and energy sovereignty of the country, as well as to reduce pollutant gas emissions into the atmosphere. “It is the path we must follow, as Europe has indicated,” he adds.
The closure of Ascó I is scheduled for 2030, followed by Ascó II in 2032, and Vandellòs II in 2035
Castellví agrees that Catalonia is not prepared to operate solely with renewables, especially in a context of a global energy crisis derived from the conflict in the Middle East. “We need nuclear alongside renewables for industry to function, to build new housing, and to undertake structural changes. Otherwise, we will not have enough energy,” she assured.
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The mayors of the two municipalities most affected by the closure of nuclear plants in Catalonia also claim that dismantling this type of facility is not an easy task, especially given the tight schedule planned for the coming years. “These are very long processes that involve a lot of work and labor. It is quite unfeasible to dismantle seven nuclear reactors by 2035,” questions Ribes, from Ascó. Until this definitive closure occurs, both localities are trying to diversify their economies – for which they have specific funds allocated for this transition – and generate activity through other means.
The Catalan employers’ association Foment del Treball has also welcomed the Spanish Government’s decision in a message published on X and has demanded that the same criteria be applied to the Ascó and Vandellòs plants. “Catalonia cannot afford to do without a stable, non-emitting energy source essential for the competitiveness of our industry,” it valued. For the business organization, this is “a step in the right direction” that bets on an energy policy based “on technical, economic, and supply security criteria, not ideological approaches.” Foment has demanded that the Govern review the closure schedule of the Catalan plants. The Generalitat, for now, has not commented on the matter.
The Popular Party of Catalonia (PPC) has asked, in this case the Government of Pedro Sánchez, to give the Catalan plants treatment similar to Almaraz. The popular deputy in the Parliament, Eva García, has reproached the inaction of the Govern of Salvador Illa to guarantee the energy flow in Catalonia. “Why does Illa want to close Ascó and Vandellòs and does not ask that they receive the same treatment as Almaraz?” she asked. García criticized that Catalonia “cannot pay more expensive energy because the PSC prefers to maintain an ideological schedule” and urged the Catalan executive to explain its reasons “to the workers, companies, and all the regions of Tarragona.”
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