Spain's Oldest Nuclear Plant Gets Lifeline

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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland) -- Spain's oldest nuclear power plant may avoid closure next year following a decision by the country's new government.

The decision overturns one taken by the previous, anti-nuclear government to close the Garona nuclear power plant in northern Spain by 2013. The new government has now requested the country's Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) to investigate the possibility that the plant can continue operating. Garona started life in 1971 and provides approximately 1.4% of the country's electricity. Nuclear power still accounts for around 20% of Spain's total electricity. In June 2009, Industrial Info Resources reported that the Garona plant, which has a generating capacity of 466-megawatts (MW), was likely to win a 10-year extension to its operational status following positive recommendations from the Nuclear Safety Council. However, since the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan last March, additional 'stress tests' are now mandatory across the European Union. For additional information, see May 26, 2011, article - Europe Agrees 'Stress Tests' Conditions for Nuclear Power Plants .

"The People's Party doesn't want to underutilize any sources of energy, especially nuclear because there are eight nuclear reactors, which according to the CSN could still continue providing energy for a determined amount of time," explained José Manuel Soria, the new head of Spain's Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism in a recent interview.

Just last week, the government picked the location for the country's controversial nuclear waste facility, after a delay of seven years. The Centralised Temporary Storage (ATC) will be constructed near the small town of Villar de Cañas in the province of Cuenca. For additional information, see January 6, 2012, article - Spain Chooses Site For Nuclear Waste Dump.

Owner and operator of the plant, Nuclenor (Burgos, Spain), welcomed the decision. "The Government will ask the CSN, the only competent body in this matter, for a report about the technical probability of prolonging the life of the plant before making a decision on its future".

In 2009, the Nuclear Safety Council recommend that the plant could run until 2019, as long as Nuclenor acted on its recommendations. These included the installation of a new system for treating radioactive gases in the event of an accident, improvements to the isolation and containment procedures, testing and monitoring equipment and the increased independence of electrical systems for safety reasons. For additional information, see June 10, 2009, article - Spain's Oldest Nuclear Plant Passes Crucial Safety Tests.

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