Spain announces the start of the dismantling process of the Almaraz nuclear power plant
The Spanish public company Enresa, responsible for the management of radioactive waste, announced the start of the tender process for engineering services for the dismantling of the Almaraz nuclear power plant, located in the province of Cáceres. According to the Spanish news agency EFE, the Public Contracting Platform included on Tuesday, the preliminary announcement of this competition, whose base budget is 28 million euros and an execution deadline period of five years.
The object of the contract is the provision of engineering services for the dismantling of the Almaraz nuclear power plant, located in the province of Cáceres, with a view to carrying out the design studies and engineering construction, specifications and projects and the preparation of documentation for authorization thereof.
In accordance with the operation and dismantling program of nuclear installations in Spain, included in the VII General Radioactive Waste Plan, the dates for the cessation of operation of Units I and II of Almaraz are foreseen for November 2027 and October 2028, respectively.
According to news from EFE, as of these dates, a period of three years will be opened to transfer ownership of the plant, currently in the hands of Iberdrola, Endesa and Naturgy, to Enresa to deal with aspects of the dismantling, which The term runs over the next 10 years, that is, between 2030 and 2041.
However, the Almaraz nuclear power plant is working on two possible scenarios: The cessation of operation of its two units (2027-2028) as defined in the calendar and the possibility of extension deadline, which must be communicated in the first quarter of 2025, to avoid setbacks of an organizational nature and absence.
If the Spanish Government and the three owner companies communicated a possible expansion of the activity beyond the first quarter of 2025, Almaraz would have to temporarily cease its activity in 2027-2028 to reorganize its planning.
The Almaraz nuclear power plant created an Asset Transition department to address the beginning of the possible decommissioning process and begin the operation of its second Individualized Temporary Storage (ATI) from 2026, to be able to house all the fuel elements that are currently in the units’ cooling pools.
The Almaraz plant reached 17,000 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of gross production in 2023, the third best historical value since the beginning of its commercial operation in 1983, and its reliability and stability indicators of operations place it in the highest category of the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO).
The Almaraz plant is located next to the Tagus River and borders the Portuguese districts of Castelo Branco and Portalegre, with Vila Velha de Ródão being the first Portuguese settlement bathed by the Tagus after the river entered Portugal.
In operation since 1981 (commercial operation since 1983), the plant is located in a seismic risk zone and just 110 kilometers as the crow flies from the Portuguese border.
The Spanish government renewed the exploration license for Groups I and II of the Almaraz plant, in July 2020, extending it until November 1, 2027, and October 31, 2028, respectively. The owners of the Almaraz plant are Iberdrola (53%), Endesa (36%) and Naturgy (11%).
