Spain

Meteorologists have been warning that southern Spain would reach 35 degrees this Sunday. The Sahara had another idea

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Sunday was going to be the key day: the moment when the country, after a very rare spring, was going to receive the first summer bars. By the south, Claro: Seville was directly at 35 degrees and Córdoba would not come down from 32. However, something has changed. Why was I going to make so much heat? For an old acquaintance, an anticyclonic dorsal that is installed on top of our heads and, without wind or clouds, makes temperatures begin to shoot: the Iberian oven. It is the same configuration that causes us the frequent heat waves that visit us every year. The dorsal will continue here, but its effect will be much less than expected. And the fault is a Dana. As the Dana that was in the Atlantic approaches the Portuguese coast, it will displace a huge tongue of Saharian dust that will enter the southern and southeast peninsular. As Nacho Espinos explained And as we have seen on other occasions, the suspension dust “reduces insolation and limits the values” that the thermometers can reach. That does not mean that it will not be hot. Of course it will be hot. Above all, if we compare them with the first two weeks of May. Not only can up to 32 degrees be found in the heart of the Guadalquivir Valley, but many parts of the country will be above 30 degrees. But the 35 degree psychological limit is not going to be achieved. And that the environment will be very murky. It is not necessary to remember that the abundance of dust in suspension, worsens air quality and can generate mild respiratory problems (from mucous irritation or nasal obstruction to itching in the eyes or dryness of the upper respiratory tract). In areas with a very strong calima complications can be greater. Above all, in people with previous ailments. According to The works of the University of La Lagunaup to “2% more people die from heart disease the two days of the phenomena of Calima.” What can we expect? A summer that does not end up landing, even if it is closer. That and A bad air quality. Above all, because to the extent that blockages in Europe continue, the arrival of storms, danas and cold storms can continue an almost indefinite time. That 2025 is strange We have it clear. How strange it will become, It is still to investigate. Image | Copernicus In Xataka | May is putting a March face: Aemet’s great question is if 2025 will definitely end the drought

Spain is no longer a problem for Telefónica. But it is not your solution yet

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Telefónica has achieved what seemed unlikely recently: return to your domestic market to the growth field. Upward income, a convergent ARPU triggered and close to the triple digit, customers won on all fronts, terminals and upward alarms, TV in its best form since before the pandemic, Churn at bay … All that is already happening, but The most relevant is not only what happens in the figures, but what happens in the strategy. Spain has ceased to be a river to The Great T.but this has not yet decided to turn it into spearhead. Or that’s what is read between the lines. During The last presentation of resultsthe first of Murtra, Emilio Gayo, newly promoted to CEO after his success at the head of the Spanish subsidiary, heard the positive data of the quarter. But Transcription of the call with investors It transmits some coldness. As if it was enough to run well to change the course of the story. As if the good moment is enough to hold it without mutating it. The needle of the action moves the balance, but also the illusion. What Gayo did not say speak as much as what he did pronounced: Telefónica is not using Spain as a strategic trampoline. It does not position it as a test field for new business lines, nor does it present it as a showcase of what can be a large telecus, but also modern, profitable, diversified. Not even as an operational matrix of Telefónica Tech, although in Spain this segment grows at a good pace. They are still unreottered their margins or their detailed results, it is a promise still locked in an opaque showcase. And what is not seen, hardly valued. Spain works, but The group has not yet shown the same determination to define its course as in Latin Americawhere They opted for an immediate exit After years in red. The context asks something else. Telefónica is in full strategic review (Gayo himself has said explicitly), And that review points in several directions: Consolidation in large markets (Spain, Germany, United Kingdom). Reinforcement of not strictly Telecos divisions (Tech, Infra). Industrial narrative, infrastructure, more than technological, which is the mystique that today is in the markets. In that framework, the logical thing would be to make Spain a success case. A replicable pilot. An example of advanced convergence (average of 92 eurazos per client, rather than in countries with greater purchasing power), premium loyalty, differential content, Diversification of income beyond voice and data. But Telefónica is presenting good numbers as data, not as a vision. It is not just a matter of story, it is a matter of course. Especially Now that Telefónica is running as a key piece in the European consolidation of the sector: The inaugural speech of the MWC crying out for her did not give the CEO of Deutsche Telekom or Vodafone or Orange, Murtra gave it. That ambition is more than Buy or fuse Digis either Vodafonesit implies proposing another way of being a teleco in this new era. And if there is one way, it can only be born from the places where Telefónica is already winning, where it does not play defensive. If Gayo and Murtra want to make Telefónica a European champion (Financial Times He slid days after the goodbye of Pallete that this was the idea with Murtra), there will be more than financial muscle or client volume: a model, a successful narrative, a value proposition that justifies that central role in the European map of telecommunications. Spain could be perfectly that modelbut Telefónica has not yet decided if you want to use it to inspire or just to consolidate. And that indecision has a cost. In a sector where all companies are redefining what they want to be – which They play to be platformstechnological that They rent networkshybrids that They reinvent the service…—, who does not propose stays out. Although their kpis shine, even if their domestic market breathes again. Nokia launched very solid terminals while Apple invented the future that would ruin it. AT&T prioritized the scale without a clear thesis and today has blurred in front of more pre -pre -rivals. Yahoo never knew what he wanted to be and The market decided on it. Telefónica is not at risk of disappearing, but if you are out of the game that matters. He is in time to decide his role, but that time to do so will not be infinite. The most difficult is already done: Spain works again for Telefónica. What has not yet been done is decide what that means. If Telefónica wants to lead Europe, you must first demonstrate it at home. Outstanding image | Telefónica In Xataka | 100 years after his birth, Telefónica faces the greatest existential dilemma in its history: what wants to be older

In Spain there are millions of pets and families wishing to travel with them. There are those who have already seen a millionaire business

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At this point of the year, last May Ecuador and with summer almost (almost) to stone shooting, it is likely that you have already thought about your next vacation. The usual thing: you decide where you will leave, how you will move, who will accompany you, how much you will spend and begin to take a look at the destination in case you need reservations inputs or excursions in advance. To those concerns more and more people Add another: what to do with your pets. And in a country where there is already Many more company animals That children is not a minor issue. In fact that question is the key to a booming business. On vacation with your pet? If you have a pet and you are looking for options not to leave it behind during your vacation, you are not alone. More and more people do it. A while ago the agencies investigated the issue and discovered that between 2019 and 2022 Google searches on accommodations that admit animals had shot 93%with 65,000 searches In the summer months. In fact more than half From those consultations they started from people who seemed more interested in finding hotels Pet Friendly At any point in Spain that in locating them in a concrete city or province, which suggests that pets are key when planning the getaways. That interest also corroborates the travel agencies o Booking, one of the great platforms in the sector: in approximately 2023 eight million of people used pet filters while searching accommodation on their website. Hotels with them or for them. To that growing interest in hotels Pet Friendly The one of the specific residences for animals is added, which according to the marketing agency generated 80,210 consultations on average in June 2022. And the trend does not seem to have declined. A quick search arrives on Google to find a Good handful of news that They speak of The high demand of the Canine Hotels, the diversification OF THE OFFER (WITH ACCOMMODATIONS “deluxe” for dogs) or how your activity He has shot with the Animal Welfare Law. New demand, new business. That interest has not only promoted New businesses focused on taking care of pets while their owners go on vacation. The hotels themselves have decided to adapt. There is estimates They talk about almost One third (30%) of Booking accommodations support pets. If you are looking for a room for two people between August 18 and 24 in Spain, without specifying destination, its search engine showed 70,700 options on Thursday. When using the pet filter stays in about 17,400more or less 25%. “They usually invest more”. A few weeks ago the Palladium Hotel Group gave a The country A key to understanding that interest: admitting pets can lead to certain changes in the operation of accommodation, but also has its reflection on the income sheet. “Travelers who choose accommodations Pet Friendly They usually invest more in their stay, whether in broader suites or additional services, which positively impacts average spending by host, ” Recognize. Other companies have launched to organize trips and activities Designed so that the client can enjoy them in the company of their pet or have even gone further with bets more risky. Cruise Tails and Expedia Cruises of West Orland have organized A cruise that allows you to cross the sea In your dog’s companywith petroat service, hairdressing and veterinary on board. Maybe it sounds strange, but a considerable percentage His pets already accompanied by people. And that despite the fact that airlines and companies in charge of operating railway and bus services do not always make it easy to travel with animals. Even the Imserso It has adapted To the trend. More pets than children. That there are more and more demand and businesses focused on pets is better understood if a key fact is handled: in Spain there are more (Many more) Company animals that children. In September The world He pulled calculator And it came out that there are almost six furry companions for each child under four years. While the latter have fallen during the last decade to represent 3.7% of the population, pets touch the 10.5 million. After contacting all the veterinary schools of Spain, The country contributed Another estimate A few months ago: at the beginning of 2025 in the country there were around 1.6 million cats and 9.3 million dogs. In total: 10.9 million censored pets, without counting reptiles, birds, fish and other species. From the Reiac they point out that the figure “is not real at all” (there are animals without chip and owners who do not discharge them when they die), but it is the one that approaches reality. In any case, it clearly exceeds the number of children in Spain. In 2022 the INE counted 1.8 million about 6.5 million With less than 15 years. A Milmillonario business. Their data is not the only ones that reflect the growing weight of pets in Spanish society. It is calculated that in 80% of the municipalities From Malaga there are already double pets than children and the first They already double to the latter. At an economic level that translates into a lucrative business of thousands of millions of euros. Estimates do not always coincide, but give an idea of ​​their reach and how it has evolved. In 2017 it was estimated that in the EU the pet business invoiced 36.5 billion euroswith the Spanish market occupying the fifth position. Since then, despite the fact that the sector has given some moderation samples, the figure would have increased considerably. ANFAAC talks about almost 2,000 million In 2023 and there are estimates that raise clear that sum. Images | Yux Xiang (UNSPLASH) and Andrey Kremkov (UNSPLASH) In Xataka | The domestication of cats remains a mystery. But we are closer to knowing where and why it happened

Old, without maintaining and without ITV. One in four motorcycles in Spain is a disaster for road safety

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Near one in four motorcycles of less than 25 years circulate without the Technical Inspection of Vehicles (ITV) in force, according to figures published by the DGT and collected by Motorpasionmoto. Being more precise, 23.3% of registered motorcycles circulate on the roads without having passed through the ITV. The worst news? The data falls short: not even all motorcycles are represented in that percentage. ITV are the parents. According to Spanish ITV data about 25% of motorcycles circulate without ITV in our country. This fact only refers to those with an age of less than 25 years. All those that have a higher age are not reflected within statistics. These are precisely the ones that represent the greatest risk, due to possible wear of their consumables and lack of maintenance. According to Guillermo Magaz, director of AECA-ITV, the old vehicles are the ones that most breached the corresponding reviews. An aged park. 16.9 years. This is the Middle Ages of the Motorcycle Park in Spain. It is a figure even higher than that of The age of cars in our countryalthough with a certain sense given the two NATURALS OF THE MOTORCYCLE: A vehicle to move from A a B as economical as possible or a simple vehicle bought by pure leisure. The consequences. In 2024 the number of deaths in Moto amounted to 289, higher figure from 2015 records. Beyond the relationship between a well maintained vehicle and their safety, there is a key fact to take into account: insurers do not have to cover a single expense if the vehicle has not passed the ITV. In case of an accident, without the inspection in force, the insurer has no legal obligation to cover the expense. The fines. The DGT fight with vehicles without ITV does not cease. It is a practice that can lead up to 500 euros of a fine, depending on the case. Circular without ITV: 200 euros, 100 euros with soon payment. Circular with unfavorable ITV: 200 euros, 100 euros with soon payment. Circular with negative ITV: 500 euros and vehicle immobilization, 250 euros soon payment. It is a problem of approach: it is cheaper circular without ITV than to circulate with a negative ITV vehicle (to which they have thrown back in the ITFV). The DGT He has been asking for years That insurers check if the ITV is in force when securing and renewing, although they have not been too successful. Meanwhile. In the absence of ITV, good security measures are good. The airbag It will become mandatory in driving examsonly the use of Integral Helmet on the roadand the validations of the card B to drive 125cc motorcycles They have ended. In Xataka | The day the motorcycles inherited aerospace technology: IMUs have arrived to change everything

We have a hard time differentiating a banana from a banana. And an illegal network was taking advantage of it in Spain

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Although for years the Spanish public has trained to know how to differentiate between a banana and a banana, the truth is that it is not easy. The best example has just given us the Civil Guard. Or, rather, the Alicante company that It is being investigated for spending more than 2,000 tons of banana imported by banana of the protected geographical indication of the Canary Islands banana. And that only in 2023. A millionaire fraud uncovered by a breath. Because since 2021 the company in question It was part of one of the six official marketing entities of the Association of Organizations of bananas producers of the Canary Islands (ASPROCAN). And if they have caught them, it was because a third sent an email to the association with A video in which it was seen The operators will unveil Bananas de Madeira and put them “on the tape where they are automatically packaged and labeled” with the distinctives of the Canarian banana. Is it difficult to identify each other? Yes and no. Indeed there are substantive differences between bananas and bananas. The former are smaller: 135.5 grams on average compared to 237.7 and about 15 cm compared to about 20 of the second. In addition, their curvature is much more evident, their flesh is more yellow and, of course, they have motites on the skin. For the rest, although there are densities in flavor, texture, caloric density and Other nutrients and organoleptic properties, They are very little significant. It is controversial to say it, but the truth is that the main difference between them are its geographical origin: the banana is Canary and the banana is usually cultivated in Africa and Latin America. That origin is important because it gives the product of certain peculiarities (which go beyond the nutritional and even arrive At the time of maturation in plant), but they are not enough to avoid problems and confusion. That is why IGP has been investing so much in ensuring its main market: Spanish. In the middle of the nightmare. According to what has transcended, the illegal network was working precisely during what It has been known as the ‘great nightmare’. From January 2023 to October 2024, only in three months of the 22 the banana had a price that we could call profitable. But that is a problem only for producers. The plot, making banana (considerably cheaper) by banana, had a very considerable margin. It was an almost perfect scam. From the Canary Islands they ask for traceability. And it makes sense: the Canarian banana is not just a fruit, it is all An industrial policy for the islands that has mechanisms regional, national and community in their favor. For years they have worked on ‘techniques’ for consumers to identify them easily (such as the famous sticker): you cannot leave the market to stop trusting them. The problem goes further, of course. The reality of the Canary Islands banana, such as that of most Spanish agriculture It is complicated: we talk about a perfectly greased industry, but that has long lived under regulations that came good. The opening of international markets and the arrival of fierce competition have made clear something that we had suspected for a long time: that our agricultural sector is A giant with mud feet and that if we want to remain leaders, we will have to make important decisions. We will have to do it sooner rather than later. Image | Pepelopex | Steve Hopson In Xataka | We go to the most expensive chocolate in history: how the cocoa crisis will shoot its price

It will offer free NBA and WNBA games for its users in Spain

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Streaming platforms have long explored live sport as a way of strengthening their catalog against increasingly fierce competition. In Spain, As our Xataka mobile partners point outcases such as Movistar Plus+ and Orange TV have opted for football as a great claim. But Amazon has decided to move in another direction: it does not go with football, it is committed to the best basketball. Prime Video already offered a varied menu with series, films and documentaries, including original titles such as’BEEKEPER: The protector‘ either ‘Jack Ryan‘. Also allowed to add external channels such as Dazn either LaLiga Hypermotion through additional subscriptions. Now, it reinforces that ecosystem with something that until now did not offer: NBA matches and WNBA without extra cost for its users in Spain. 117 matches for prime video users in Spain. During the 2025/2026 season, Prime Video users in Spain can see free up to 87 NBA games, which will be added 30 WNBA matches from 2026. In total, 117 available games without additional payments, although far from the complete calendar of both competitions: it is a sample, equivalent approximately 7 % of the total NBA and 12 % in the case of the WNBA. For those who want to access all the meetings, Amazon will offer the NBA League Pass as an additional channel integrated into its platform. This movement is possible thanks to An 11 -year agreement With those responsible for both leagues, which allows Amazon to broadcast exclusively a selection of key meetings every season. A global strategy beyond Spain. The bet is not limited to Spain. Prime Video will distribute this package of parties in the United States and other markets such as Mexico, Brazil, France, Italy, Germany, United Kingdom and Ireland. In these territories, the agreement includes at least 20 additional games per season in stripes of maximum audience, a series of conference endings each and the NBA finals in six of the eleven years. With this movement, Amazon expands its presence in live sport and takes another step in its content strategy. So far it offered Spanish football competitions or sports channels under subscription. Now it incorporates for the first time a top -level basketball sample without additional cost. A play that seeks to reinforce the prime video value marking ground in front of the competition. Images | Markus Spiske | Amazon/NBA In Xataka | Netflix has tired that all its series and movies look like Netflix series and movies. And you have a plan to change it

The world is drinking less wine than ever. Spain is the exception

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The world is drinking less wine than ever. Or at least, less than ever in the last six decades. In 2024, consumption fell for the third consecutive year to the minimum of the early sixties, according to the data of the International Wine Organization cited by Chain ser. Only one country goes in the opposite direction: Spain. Why is it important. This change in the trend of consumption is a threat to a key sector of many economies, including Spanish. Spain is the second country in the world on the surface of vineyards and the third in production. It is a employment generator, exports, and in part, of Spanish cultural identity. In figures. In 2024 … Global consumption stayed at 214 million hectoliters. Minimum figure since 1961. Spain remained in a consumption of about 10 million hectoliters, which in fact is very close to being its postpandemics record. That meant a 1.2% increase in consumption compared to 2023. In context. It is not that there are many people renouncing the wine, but that they drink less frequently and more selectively. There are more consumers, but with other patterns: it is drunk with greater moderation, the Alcohol without alcoholand there is greater social pressure to avoid excess. In addition, young people do not have the habit that their parents or grandparents did more frequently: accompanying meals with wine daily. Between the lines. Wine is less and less everyday to become something more linked to a whim. Less volume, more premium. In that line, global consumption has fallen, but not the interest in wines of a certain category. In fact, in Spain the food channel has risen in value (+2.7%) although it falls in volume (-0.5%). And now what. The wine industry, which You already have your own problems in Spainhas a dilemma: either adapt to the new consumer or continue losing presence in the face of new habits. The young audience, which drinks differently and in less quantity, is the key. The classic model, based on volume, tradition and hospitality, is not enough. Spain, who continues to drink, can mark the way. In Xataka | The “natural wine” has become fashionable. There is a place where he takes centuries without so much hype: Mass Outstanding image | Lily combs in Unspash

After the blackout, false images of Spain and Portugal circulated from space. Now we have the real photos

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55 million people ran out of electricity in Spain and Portugal on April 28, but Total darkness images They circulated the next day, like the one above, they were false. The Balearic Islands did not suffer the blackout, and a good part of the Peninsula already had light when the night fell. Now the European Space Agency has compiled the real images captured from space. The trigger for this collection work were, in fact, the false images. Alejandro Sánchez de Miguel, researcher at the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia linked to ESA light pollution projects, He saw the photos that were circulating And he decided that the real ones had to be published. Three NASA satellites equipped with Night observation technology (Suomi-NPP, NOAA-20 and NOAA-21) spent a couple of times on the peninsula that night. Their Six images They tell us a nuanced story, and very different from viral montages, how the Peninsula finished illuminating. The blackout at 03:12, 03:36, 04:30, 04:54 and 05:18 While areas like Madrid had regained light around 22:00 on the 28th, other regions, especially in the souththey followed in the dark until Well enter the morning On the 29th, the almost complete recovery, visible in the last passes of the satellites, arrived at 5:00. The night was clear in almost the entire territory. Dark spots in France or the Portuguese coast are not due to supply cuts, but that the satellite did not go through that concrete region in the waterfall. In green, the areas that still had no light. Blank, the ones In these contrasted images, areas without light can be visualized more easily in green, while areas with electricity supply appear blank. The provinces of Almería and Granada They were the ones that took the closest to illuminate. There are also green areas in Castilla-La Mancha and dispersed regions of Levante, the Sierra Morena and the Campo de Gibraltar. The blackout in Andalusia seen by NASA Earth Observatory While satellites help quickly evaluate the scope and progression of light cuts, the blackouts itself offer space agencies the possibility of Study light pollution and its impact on the observation of heaven or In circadian rhythms of people. In areas such as Almería, the light pollution It was reduced between 70 and 80% during the blackout of April 28. But the light was restored, the stars turned off again and Pilas radio He went back to the drawer. Images | NASA, that In Xataka | ESA has launched the world’s first satellite equipped with Band Radar P. The goal: see through forests

Europe detected the oscillations of the blackout in Spain but did not know how to anticipate collapse

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While It is still done Analysis Committee meetings to find out what happened in the blackout of April 28. A new preliminary report of the European Network of Electricity Transportation Networks (ENTSO-E) has thrown An important focus on something that Europe could not see. Short. So far, what was known were the data of the “Black box”where second to second it has been investigated that it began to fail. But a new preliminary report of the Entso-E has confirmed That it is not only about the oscillations that were recorded in Spain: collapse was a “complex sequence of events.” In depth. The point is that the report explained that during the half an hour before the incident, two power and frequency oscillations were observed in the European electricity grid, between 12:03 and 12:07 and between 12:19 and 12:21. And of course, both Red Eléctrica in Spain and RTE in France took measures to mitigate these oscillations. However, at 12:33, the electrical system of the Iberian Peninsula He collapsed completely. The matter has more crumb. At that time, no oscillations and system variables were detected within the normal range of operation. But that did not mean that everything was under control. Europe had detected those oscillations, but when Spain and France intervened, they did not interpret it as a critical risk. This was how in southern Spain, a series of failures in electricity generation caused a loss of 2200 MW. This loss was sufficient to trigger a drop in the frequency of the system, which fell to 48 Hz. In other words, the electrical frequency must be maintained around 50 Hz. If it drops from 48 Hz, the system can enter a critical state. And that was exactly what happened. From that moment on … The blackout was inevitable. The electricity exchanges between Spain and its neighboring countries were at high levels: 1000 MW towards France, 2000mw to Portugal and 800MW to Morocco. But when the system collapsed, these connections were also lost. The transmission lines between France and Spain stopped working at 12:33:21 and automatic protection systems disconnected the entire Iberian network three seconds later. There was a figure that circulates in networks. The president of the Government in his appearance before the media said: “15GW disappeared in 5 seconds”I immediately ran this statement in the networks, but the Entso-E has specified that the loss was 2.2GW. So where did that figure come from? The 15 GW that circulated after the blackout comes from an initial REE estimate based on automatic defense systems. According to the Secretary of Energy of MitecoJoan Groizard, 10 GW were counted in automatic cuts (demand breakdown) and 5 GW in contribution of interconnections that stopped supplying energy. However, the report of the ETSO-E specifies that the loss recorded in southern Spain was 2200 MW (2.2 GW), a significantly lower figure, evidencing that the initial calculation did not reflect the loss of generation itself, but the global impact of the event on the electrical system. And now what? Entso-e has created A panel of experts to continue investigating what happened. These experts, from countries not affected by the blackout, will collect all the available data to rebuild minute by minute what happened on April 28 to prepare a technical report that will be presented to the European Commission throughout the second half of the year. In turn, the Spanish committee will continue working in parallel, analyzing not only technical failures, but also possible cyber attacks or errors in digital systems, according to has detailed The vice president, Sara Aagesen, in an interview for eldiario.es. Forecasts In the same interview, Sara Aagesen He has insisted in that the causes of the blackout are “enormously complex” and that no hypothesis is ruled out. But many unknowns are left: what centrals were disconnected exactly? What triggered the drop of 2200 MW? And why not the alert signals were detected in time? The first “green” blackout He has put Testing the Iberian Electricity and has evidenced the vulnerabilities of a system in full transition to renewables. While the full analysis of the blackout could take months, both system operators and governments They move in a field full of uncertainty. The key now is to rethink the Microredes, Energy storage and Gridorming technologies capable of stabilizing an increasingly volatile network. The road is being configured now and is in the present where you have to continue working. Image | Unspash and Eric Fischer Xataka | The other uncomfortable truth of the blackout: Spain does not yet have enough batteries for its renewable boom

After the blackout, the government defended the nuclear closure because “in Spain there is no uranium.” Reality is more complicated

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The question of uranium has returned to the forefront after the president of the Government affirm that “in Spain there is no uranium and therefore we will have to import it.” Although Spain has large uranium deposits, reality is always more complicated than the usual black or white policy. The second European country with more uranium. Spain has between 25,000 and 30,000 tons of uranium, “the second most important reserves of the European Union,” According to the geologist Jesús Martínez Frías. Both the ‘Red Book’ of the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) as the National Geographic Institute (IGN) indicate the existence of resources with the possibility of exploitation in Spanish territory, mainly in the province of Salamanca. Why they stopped exploding. Spain had uranium mining, but The last mine closed in 2000 for the “exhaustion of economically exploitable mining resources”, according to the Ministry for Ecological Transition. The Spanish Nuclear Society (SNE) said that production costs had exceeded 30% market prices, which made its continuity unfeasible. Two decades later, the Law 7/2021 of climate change and energy transition Truncó any new attempt To exploit the deposits: “Due to their prejudices, their cost will not be granted new exploration, research or concessions of exploitation of radioactive minerals, nor will new authorization requests be admitted.” Environmental problems. The risk of radioactive water contamination is another elephant in the room. A study Posted by Environmental Pollution In 2018 he documented “much higher” uranium concentrations than background geochemical levels near old mines abandoned in Salamanca. The levels in the soil ranged between 207.2 and 542.4 mg kg⁻¹, when the natural background levels are 29.8 mg kg⁻¹ for granite and 71.2 mg kg⁻¹ for slate. The study proposed environmental restoration measures, such as reforestation, in areas close to old farms. They are not entirely unfeasible. The political landscape has changed with the European Union in search of energy sovereignty and resources. The economic landscape too. With The price of upward uraniumthe Berkeley Minera company has a revived interest in its Retortillo project. The request for exploitation of this deposit was delivered before Law 7/2021 applied, but the Nuclear Safety Council also issued An unfavorable environmental report for “the low reliability and the high uncertainties of security analysis in geotechnical and hydrogeological aspects.” Uranium you have to enrich it. Although there was a political change that leads to the reactivation of Retry, the uranium that is extracted from the earth (natural uranium) barely contains 0.7% of Uranium-235, the necessary physiognable isotope for most nuclear reactors. It would be necessary to enrich uranium, a process that consists in increasing the concentration of uranium-235 to 3-5% levels for light water reactors, which are the most common. Spain does not have its own high -scale enriched uranium, or facilities in which to enrich uranium at the industrial level for use as fuel in nuclear centrals. Can Spain enrich uranium? Spain had the capacity to produce uranium concentrates (in the form of yellow cakes or Yellowcakes), But obtaining enriched uranium is a subsequent, technologically more complex and expensive process, dominated by a few countries. Today, 60% He leaves Russia and China. ENUSA (the national uranium company) already had difficulty replacing Russian enriched uranium after Commercial vetoes for the Ukraine War. Enriching it would be a major challenge. A change of direction. In the new geopolitical context, the European Union is promoting the reactivation of mining to ensure a sovereign supply of key materials for energy transition and defense. Spain is rich in Uranium, but also in resources such as copper, which is the second EU producer. Besides, It has lithiumcobalt, Coltán and possible lower land deposits. Seven of the 47 new Strategic Mining Projects promoted by the EU They will be developed in Spainalthough most face the rejection of environmental organizations for its environmental impact, such as the lithium mine in Cáceres. The epicenter of the debate. Discussions on Spanish uranium are a broader reflex of tensions: the strategic autonomy of resources, the imperatives of the energy transition, environmental protection and social acceptance of mining activity. In the end, the epicenter of the debate is the high cost of building and maintaining traditional nuclear plants in the face of renewable energy sources, of which Spain is world power. Only last year, Spain produced 148,999 GWh of renewable energy, 56.8% of Mix. If the blackout was A notice that the electricity is not prepared To stabilize large renewable energy fluctuations, what touches is wondering what are the investments in storage, investors, interconnections and energy sources alternative to pollutants combined cycles of gas to avoid another blackout. Everything is said regarding the closure of nuclear plants or the extraction of uranium in Spain, but the solar industry will not go anywhere. Image | Tecnatom In Xataka | In Salamanca there is a high -tech nuclear fuel bars factory that exports to all of Europe: we have visited it

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