Spain will close all of its nuclear power plants by 2035, while proposing energy measures including extending the duration of renewable energy projects and adjusting renewable energy auctions.

The government said the plants would start shutting down in 2027 and that the management and dismantling of their radioactive waste would cost about 20.2 billion euros ($22.4 billion), which would be covered by the plant operators' funds.

A total of seven units of the five remaining nuclear power plants in Spain will be shut down in 2035, starting with the Almaraz 1 unit in November 2027, and the government will gradually shut down seven nuclear power units in the country between 2027 and 2035. Seven units with a total installed capacity of 7,399 MWe meet one-fifth of Spain's electricity needs. Each unit will be decommissioned after three years of shutdown. Spain has already decided to turn off all coal power by 2025.

According to a revised nuclear waste plan approved by the Spanish government in December 2023, the estimated cost of dismantling seven nuclear power units and long-term waste management has increased from €19.2 billion ($21.3 billion) in 2022 to €20.2 billion ($22.4 billion).

Enresa, Spain's national radioactive waste management company, currently manages a fund for storage facilities worth 7.3 billion euros ($8.1 billion). Spanish local media estimated that the new money in the revised bill means that the government's support for the fund will be increased from the current 7.98 euros /MWh(about $8.83) to 9 euros /MWh(about $10).

Spain's nuclear retreat will bring wind and solar power quickly to the fore. In recent years, Spain has added more than 2.4GW of new solar capacity, making solar the cheapest energy source in 2022. In addition, Spain has more than 27GW of installed wind capacity, meeting more than a fifth of its electricity needs. In order to implement the strategy to increase the installed capacity of renewable energy, the government has extended the period for the development of green new energy projects, which has now been extended to 49 months. Editor/Xu Shengpeng