Iberdrola reaffirms its commitment to extend Almaraz and awaits the agreement of Endesa and Naturgy to request it from the Government “as soon as possible”

Iberdrola has reaffirmed itself this Tuesday in the extension of the Almaraz nuclear power plant and hopes to reach an agreement with the other two owners, Endesa and Naturgy, to close an agreement to make a “formal request” to the Ministry for the Ecological Transition “as soon as possible”, to begin the procedures that would prevent it from closing the activity of its first unit in November 2027 and the second, in October 2028.

Sources from Ignacio Sánchez Galán’s company have assured that “they reaffirm their commitment to extending useful life“, as they also remember that those responsible for the other two owners, Endesa and Naturgy, have been doing “publicly.”

In this regard, there is unanimity in the statements by the three owners that Almaraz should continue operating. at least until 2030a period for which it would not even be necessary for the National Security Council to grant a new license, since the existing one covers 10 years and was renewed in 2020. For their part, Endesa sources have refused to comment this Tuesday.

Iberdrola has returned again this Tuesday to encourage the agreement with Endesa and Naturgy to make the formal request for an extension to the Ministry after an ordinary meeting of the CNAT, the management body of the Almaraz and Trillo plants, where the company assures that “work is being done on the continuity scenario, maintaining the installation in perfect technical conditionsas WANO has recently recognized, by granting the level of excellence to the plant”.

“Regarding the formal request for continuity, the partners are working on governance to launch it as soon as possible, to the Ministry of Ecological Transition, prior to the delivery of documentation to the National Security Council,” add the sources, who They have not specified the conditions of this extensionfor which the owners demand tax reductions from the Government and the Government, which does not entail any economic cost for citizens.

In any case, the decision to ask the Government for an extension of the nuclear power plant will be taken in another body other than the CNAT, the community of assets of the Almaraz plant, in which its three owners are represented.

In parallel to the eventual request for an extension, What is certain is a date marked on the calendar for nuclear closurewhich the proprietary electricity companies will respect, regardless of the fact that by then they have already been able to request an extension of the useful life of Almaraz. According to the 2020 Ministerial Order in which the Government granted the current license to operate, before November 1 they must deliver to the Nuclear Safety Council the documentation required to proceed with the closure of the first of its two units at the Almaraz plant, scheduled for November 2027 if there is no decision to the contrary.