Spain extends Almaraz nuclear plant license to 2030, citing Middle East energy crisis as Portuguese and Spanish groups vow legal action

License extension

Spain's Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge (MITECO) published an order on Friday, August 14, 2026, extending the operating license of Units I and II at the Almaraz nuclear power plant until June 8, 2030. The extension adds 31 months to Unit I's previous closure date of November 1, 2027, and 19 months to Unit II's previous date of October 31, 2028. The decision was approved with a favorable opinion from the Nuclear Safety Council and published in the official state bulletin.

The process began in October 2025, when the plant's three owners, Iberdrola, Endesa, and Naturgy, agreed to formally request the extension. The two reactors have been operating since the early 1980s. The plant, located in Extremadura about 100 km from the Portuguese border in the Tagus river basin, supplies electricity to approximately 4 million homes, accounts for 7% of Spain's electricity production, and guarantees 4,000 jobs.

Government justification

The Spanish government, led by Pedro Sánchez, cited energy price volatility caused by the armed conflict in the Middle East and the continuation of the war in Ukraine as grounds for the extension. MITECO stated that the "limited and temporary" extension could help moderate consumer exposure to unexpected price increases while renewable energy and storage measures continue to be implemented. The government guaranteed that the extension does not alter the total closure date of Spain's nuclear park, set for 2035.

Environmental and legal opposition

Portuguese and Spanish environmental associations announced they will take the matter to court "as soon as possible." António Eloy, coordinator of the Observatório Ibérico de Energia, said the lawsuit will be filed in Spain by ADENEX, the Associação para a Defesa da Natureza e dos Recursos da Extremadura. The movement "Alargar as Nucleares, Não Obrigado," composed of ADENEX, Ecologistas em Ação, and Greenpeace, considers the extension illegal.

“It is an injustice and an illegality, given that there was an agreement between the companies and the State for them to close Almaraz in 2027. That is not happening, so it is an illegality, the product of a subsequent agreement that only benefits the company and speculation.”

Carvalho, of the Movimento Ibérico Antinuclear, added that the group will pursue both judicial and street action, warning that in case of a disaster, the Tagus river, in whose basin the plant sits, could carry radioactive contamination downstream to Lisbon, where it flows into the sea.

Portuguese concerns

The association Zero demanded that the Portuguese government publicly oppose the extension.

“It is important that the Government publicly assumes a critical position regarding this postponement of Almaraz's closure and demands that Spain comply with the timetable.”

Zero noted that Unit I will close with 49 years of operation and Unit II with nearly 47, "well beyond the 40 years for which Westinghouse PWR reactors were originally designed." Fonseca stressed that every additional year of operation increases the risk of failures at an industrial facility located about 100 km from Portuguese territory.

Unit I31

Unit II19

Unit I

31 months

Unit II

19 months

Data from the article text

Portuguese municipalities also reacted. António Carmona, president of the Vila Velha de Ródão municipality, said the plant's useful life "has long been exceeded," increasing risk. Leopoldo Rodrigues, president of the Castelo Branco municipality, said he would seek assurances from Spanish authorities about safety guarantees, noting that "however small the accident, the impact is always enormous." The April 28, 2025 blackout on the Iberian peninsula had revived the nuclear debate, with a citizen petition against closure gathering workers, municipalities, residents, farmers, and regional associations.