About Nuclear Energy

Nuclear Energy in Spain
Spain has a total of 8 nuclear plants: Garoña (in Burgos), Trillo (in Guadalajara), Cofrentes (Valencia), Almaraz I & II (in Cáceres), Ascó I & II and Vandellós II (in Tarragona).

This number is not significant in comparison to other countries, if we consider that France has 58 nuclear power plants, Germany 17 and the U.S. 104. There is a total of 443 nuclear plants in the world.

Spain began to show an interest in nuclear energy in the late 1940s, when a Committee was created in the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. However, it was not until 1963 that the Nuclear Energy Act was passed and what would be the first Spanish plant was authorized: Almonacid de Zorita, in Guadalajara. This plant, which was renamed José Carbrera, began operating on 14 July 1968 and ceased operations in April 2006.

Three years later, in 1971, the 460 MW Santa María de Garoña plant in Burgos went online. In 1972, the 500 MW Vandellós I plant in Tarragona opened its doors; this plant was closed in 1989 after a fire destroyed part of the plant installations. These three plants, the so-called first generation, represented a combined power of 1,220 MW.

In view of the country’s energy needs and the good results obtained, the decision was made to build seven new units (in four power plants) with much more generating capacity, adding a further 6,500 MW of nuclear power. Thus, the first 930 MW unit of the Almaraz nuclear power plant (Cáceres) began to produce electricity in 1981.

In 1983, the first 930 MW reactor of the Ascó plant (Tarragona) began operating, and the second unit of the Almaraz plant, also with 930 MW of power, was commissioned. In 1984, the 975 MW Cofrentes plant was inaugurated in Valencia. In 1985, the second 930 MW reactor of the Ascó plant was connected to the grid. In late 1987, Vandellós II began its testing period, and it reached full power of 1,004 MW in 1988. Finally, in 1989, the 1,066 MW Trillo I plant (Guadalajara) was put into service. Some of these plants have subsequently uprated their original rated power.

Both the first and second generation Spanish nuclear plants are located in the northern half of Spain, since this is the part of the Peninsula with less seismic incidence. They are located in provinces with a low population density but near to large urban and industrial areas with high levels of consumption.

Spain also has a nuclear fuel factory in Juzbado, Salamanca (owned by Enusa Industrias Avanzadas S.A.) and a low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste storage center in El Cabril, Cordoba, managed by ENRESA.

Likewise, Spain is a member of EURATOM (European Atomic Energy Community), whose purpose is to stimulate the European economy through the peaceful use of nuclear power. Community regulations are applied in matters of research and dissemination of nuclear know-how, supply, investments and safety control.
All the experience and research work place Spain and its nuclear technicians in an ideal position to export this technology.