Congress has shown its intention to extend its useful life

The Congress of Deputies has approved This Tuesday a non -law proposition (NLP) on the extension of the useful life of the Nuclear power plants in Spain. The initiative, presented by the Popular Party, has come forward with 171 votes in favor (of the 349 cast), thanks to the support of Vox and a UPN deputy, in addition to the abstention of Junts and ERC. Of course, being a non -binding figure, its approval does not entail any change in the formalized closing calendar six years ago, but it does reflect the position of the chamber and summons the government to assess possible measures in that direction.

No change in the nuclear blackout. The Government marked the course of the future energy policy in 2019, when it agreed with the National Radioactive Waste (Enresa), Iberdrola, Endesa, Naturgy and EDP company, the stepped closure of the five nuclear power plants in the country. It is expected that dismantling tasks will begin in 2027 and extend until 2035, with some facilities ceasing to produce electricity before others. To do this, several measures are being launched in parallel, such as the development of a radioactive waste cemetery and a portable laboratory for transfer.

Nuclear remains a significant energy source. According to the Nuclear Forumwith electricity data, nuclear plants generated 19.57% of electricity in Spain in 2024. It was not only the technology with the highest number of hours of operation at full power (83.27% of the total hours) , but also the second most important production source in the country, only behind wind. At present, government plans go through renewable energies, But some actors believe that this bet will result in a less robust and stable electrical system than the current one.

Nuclear centrals from Spain

Europe attends the “rebirth” of nuclear. While Spain keeps firm its nuclear closure calendar, in much of Europe the trend is the opposite. A clear example is Francewhich a decade ago planned to reduce its dependence on atomic energy, but in 2022 it changed course. Not only did he abandon that idea, but decided to bet on new reactors. Finland, Slovakia, Poland, Czech Republic and Hungary They have also announced or are considering the construction of new nuclear plants. The reasons for doing them are many, but one of them is artificial intelligence (AI).

AI and Nuclear Energy. Data centers that train next -generation language models require huge amounts of energy. These avant -garde infrastructures operate with the most advanced processing units of companies such as NVIDIA, which triggers their electric demand. Given the need for an abundant and stable supply, technological giants have begun to close agreements to directly access nuclear energy. Microsoft, Google, Oracle and other companies have already taken steps in that direction. And some governments, such as the American and French, are supporting these initiatives.

The United States has given green light to the use of federal lands for the construction of data centers and seeks to expedite both permits and access to nuclear energy. Meanwhile, France advances strongly to become a key actor in the sector. Not only is it promoting “the largest campus in Europe” With investment of United Arab Emiratesbut also promotes a data center of more than 1 power gigavatio In collaboration with Fluidstack. “Electricity is available, you just have to connect”, Emmanuel Macron said this week.

A small victory, although without concrete changes. As we have seen above, the non -law proposition has come forward with the support of Junts and ERC, Catalan parties in whose region are the nuclear power plants of Ascó I, Ascó II and Vandellós II. These facilities generate 60% of the electricity consumed in Catalonia, which underlines the relevance of the debate. However, beyond reflecting a political position and reviving the discussion about the future of nuclear energy in Spain, the measure does not alter the planned closing calendar. Today, the official plan continues its course and there is no indications that it will be modified.

Images | WILLTRON ( CC by-SA 3.0) | Ministry for ecological transition and demographic challenge

In Xataka | We are two years after the beginning of the “nuclear blackout” in Spain. Go against the countercurrent raises many doubts and few certainties