Spanish nuclear regulator backs longer life for Almaraz plant

Spain's nuclear safety regulator has backed extending the operating life of Almaraz, the country's largest nuclear power plant, to 2030, beyond the government's planned 2028 shutdown.

Almaraz provides about seven percent of Spain's electricity. It is due to close under the leftist government's plan to shut all nuclear reactors by 2035.

The plant's three Spanish owners, Iberdrola, Endesa and Naturgy, asked the government last year to let Almaraz operate for two more years. They sought the opinion of the Nuclear Safety Council, known as CSN.

The CSN said the plant in western Spain was operating properly and that safety standards remained adequate for continued operation. Its report has been sent to the environment ministry, which is expected to make a final decision before the end of October.

The government does not have to follow the regulator's recommendation. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's government has previously said any extension would depend on the plant meeting all required safety standards and not adding costs for taxpayers.

Spain once had eight nuclear power plants, which supplied about 38 percent of its electricity in the 1980s. It now has five plants with seven reactors, which provide about 19 percent of the country's electricity, according to official data.

The government wants to increase the share of electricity from renewable sources such as wind and solar as it phases out nuclear power. The report says last year's nationwide blackout and recent fuel supply disruptions linked to the war in the Middle East have renewed debate over the phase-out, in line with a wider reassessment of nuclear power across Europe.