Status of the nuclear sector in Spain

Abstract

Spain began to show interest in nuclear energy in the late 1940’s. In 1964 the Nuclear Energy Law was approved, and in 1972 the Nuclear and Radioactive Sites Regulation was developed. Safety and regulation activities were entrusted to the Nuclear Safety Council (Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear) created in 1980, and the research and management of radioactive waste to the National Radioactive Waste Company (Empresa Nacional de Residuos Radiactivos), created in 1985. The structure of Spain’s nuclear industry began to be created in the 1960’s, as a consequence of the decision to build the nuclear power plants of José Cabrera, Santa María de Garoña and Vandellós I. In the next stage, during the 1970’s, the Almaraz, Ascó and Cofrentes Nuclear Power Plants were built. During the third stage, in the 1980’s, the Vandellós II and Trillo I Nuclear Power Plants were built.

Nowadays, the expert and efficient Spanish nuclear industry is a guarantee that nuclear technology is maintained in Spain, and not only to support the operating plants but also a reactivated international nuclear market. Spain has the necessary infrastructure, the technical capacity, the financial resources and the companies’ willpower in a common effort to provide Spaniards with reliable, cheap and sustainable electric energy that respects the environment and guarantees security for citizens. Nuclear energy is, definitively, a key component today and in the future.