|
|
| Fig. 1: Changes in support for nuclear energy. (Image source: J. Ibrahim, after Brugidou and Bouillet. [2]) |
Nuclear power plants currently account for a fifth of Spain's electricity generation. Between 2010 and 2021 the country has generated an average of 0.535 exajoules of electricity per year (1 EJ = 1.0 × 1018 J). Energy generated from nuclear power plants has remained relatively stable over the past decade. [1]
Spain began its nuclear energy program in 1964 and continued until the late 80's when construction of several third-generation reactors was paused. Spain experienced success in rolling out its nuclear energy program with three reactors (Zorita, Gorona, and Vandellos 1) between 1964 and 1972. But despite growing demand for energy and the proven success of nuclear power in the country, in the years following construction of first-generation nuclear power plants, Spain greatly reduced its planned nuclear capacity initially outlined in the 1975 National Energy Plan from 35 Gw by 1992 to less than 13 GW by 1990 (1 GW = 1.0 × 109 Watts).
In the 70s a second generation of plants began construction, but only five of the seven planned were completed. In 1984 a moratorium on the completion and operation of second-generation reactors was proposed by the new socialist government and later implemente, and the planned nuclear capacity was slashed to 7.829 GW. Following this moratorium, construction of three of the five planned third-generation reactors was halted.
Additional pressure was placed on Spain's nuclear energy program following the crisis that emerged in the Basque autonomous region in the late 70's and early 80's over installation of the Lemoniz Nuclear Powerplant. This resulted in retaliatory action from Basque separatist group ETA. ETA's retaliation involved bombings and kidnappings, adn it resulted in the deaths of several plant workers. Widespread protest and retaliation in response to construction of this plant as well as growing ecological concerns among the Basque people ultimately resulted in abandonment of this project.
Later in 1989 one of the first operating nuclear power plants , Vandellos 1, a hydrogen explosion resulted in a fire that damaged the plant's cooling system. This further decreased public sentiment towards adoption of nuclear energy.
More recently a leak of radioactive material from the Asco 1 nuclear plant in 2007 sparked protests over safety protocols and potential ecological damage.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Table 1: Spain nuclear energy consumption. [1] (1 EJ = 1.0 × 1018 J) |
Nuclear power plants currently account for a fifth of Spain's electricity generation. (See Table 1.) Between 2010 and 2021 the country has generated an average of .535 exajoules of electricity per year. Energy generated from nuclear power plants has remained relatively stable over the past decade. Percent of energy generated from nuclear power plants as a percent of total electricity generation averaged 21.25% every year between 2018 and 2021 with less than a 2% differential between each year. Percentage of energy generated from total renewable sources as a percent of total electricity generation however, increased significantly from 25% in 2018 to 35% in 2021. This implies that reliance on nuclear is unchanged in recent years but other renewable energy sources are becoming more dominant in Spain's energy infrastructure. [1]
Since the installation of Spain's first nuclear power plant there has been skepticism and protest from Spanish citizens. While Spain is a nation highly dependent on nuclear energy, public disapproval of plans to construct new plants or change plans for decommissioning plants remained relatively firm until recently. Surveying of the Spanish public suggests that the increase in energy demand across Europe brought on by the Ukraine war and corresponding loss of oil and gas imports has lead to a renewed support of nuclear energy. A survey of support for nuclear energy among citizens of various European countries between 2021 and 2022 showed that there was a 13% increase in positive sentiment towards nuclear energy. Surveys of support for different modes of energy generation across several European countries between 2021 and 2022 (See Fig. 1) also corroborated the increase in support for nuclear energy but simultaneously revealed that non renewable energy sources like gas and coal fired plants had the same magnitude increase. [2] This suggests that support for nuclear energy does not coincide with an increase in demand for renewable energy sources and that Spanish citizens recognize the key role of nuclear energy in achieving energy independence as a nation.
© Jawad Ibrahim. The author warrants that the work is the author's own and that Stanford University provided no input other than typesetting and referencing guidelines. The author grants permission to copy, distribute and display this work in unaltered form, with attribution to the author, for noncommercial purposes only. All other rights, including commercial rights, are reserved to the author.
[1] "BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2022," Britsh Petroleum, June 2022; issues back to 2016.
[2] M. Brugidou and J. Bouillet, "A Return to Grace For Nuclear Power in European Public Opinion? Some Elements of a Rapid Paradigm Shift," Fondation Robert Schuman, European Issues No, 662, March 2023.