The Government extends the operation of the Almaraz nuclear power plant until 2030.

The Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge has renewed the operating authorization for the Almaraz Nuclear Power Plant, Units I and II, which may operate until 8 June 2030. The decision is formalized in Order TED/864/2026, of 12 August, published this Friday in the Official State Gazette.

The order, which revokes Order TED/773/2020, of 23 July, grants the renewal to the entity Centrales Nucleares Almaraz-Trillo, AIE (CNAT), which submitted the application on 30 October 2025. The Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) issued a favorable report on 16 July 2026, after evaluating the documentation submitted in response to the Complementary Technical Instruction CSN/ITC/SG/AL0/25/06, and the hearing procedure provided for in Law 39/2015 was completed without observations. The order bears the signature of the Secretary of State for Energy, Joan Groizard Payeras, by delegation of the Third Vice-President and Minister for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, pursuant to Order TED/544/2026, of 28 May.

A limited extension that does not alter the closure schedule

The granted extension is limited to about 31 months in Unit I and 19 months in Unit II, a small proportion of the expected average lifespan of the Spanish nuclear fleet. According to the text itself, it does not alter the rest of the schedule or the definitive cessation date of the entire nuclear fleet, set for 2035. The ministry justifies the extension on the grounds that the plant has a Periodic Safety Review (3rd PSR) in force until 2030 and in the context of the Middle East crisis, which has increased the volatility of fossil fuel prices and Spain’s exposure to dependence on natural gas.

Limited impact on renewables and waste

The ministry’s sensitivity analysis estimates a 1.4% reduction in renewable generation in 2030 compared to the PNIEC scenario, and a 7% reduction in natural gas generation in combined cycles, without compromising the European renewable energy target. The assessments of the consulted bodies are favorable in limited terms:

• The National Radioactive Waste Company (Enresa) indicates that the increase in the waste inventory is not very significant, does not require expanding storage facilities, and does not foresee transferring costs to consumers or to general budgets.
• The system operator points out that the extension contributes to the electricity system, albeit in a limited way, and reinforces the security and stability of supply in the current context of uncertainty.

Operating conditions until 2030

The authorization empowers CNAT to operate the two units up to a thermal power of 2,947 MWt each, based on the official operating documents in force. The text includes monitoring and control obligations:

• At least one year before 8 June 2030, the licensee must justify nuclear safety and radiological protection for the period between cessation of operation and the granting of the decommissioning authorisation.
• The licensee will collaborate with Enresa in the preparatory tasks for decommissioning and will annually communicate the planned dates for fuel reloading.
• The authorisation may be revoked if the limits and conditions are breached, if there are inaccuracies in the data provided, or if unfavourable nuclear safety factors arise.
• The order may be appealed by reconsideration within one month and by contentious-administrative appeal within two months before the Audiencia Nacional.

Social dialogue and just transition

The ministry makes the extension conditional on the territorial commitment of the owners: the extension, the order states, must facilitate greater involvement of the owner companies in industrial and employment alternatives in the territory and be used to advance social dialogue towards a just transition.

The decision comes amid a full debate on the role of nuclear power in the Spanish electricity mix: it keeps Almaraz in operation for almost four more years without changing the roadmap for the closure of the plant in 2035, while measures to boost renewables and storage are being deployed. Of a temporary nature according to the ministry itself, the extension moderates the exposure of consumers and the productive fabric to gas price peaks and prolongs industrial certainty in the territory hosting the plant.

Source: Official State Gazette, No. 199, Friday, 14 August 2026, Section III, p. 114812 (official reference: BOE-A-2026-17756).