Future of former Spanish nuclear site remains unclear

European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, Miguel Arias Cañete, confirmed on 5 April 2016 that the EU executive had not yet received any information on progress relating to Garoña nuclear site's action plan. This plan was established by the Spanish Nuclear Safety Council's (CSN) Complementary Technical Instructions, and the European Commission holds a supervisory role in its implementation.

The Garoña nuclear power plant, near Burgos in northern Spain, ceased power production in December 2012, as its licence was due to expire in July 2013. The CSN had initially found that it could keep operating until 2019, if the plant’s operator carried out certain technical upgrades, but this was downgraded in a compromise made by the Ministry of Industry.

Spain established a moratorium on the construction of new nuclear plants in 1983, as it pursues a policy of phasing it out as an energy source in favour of renewables. In 2011, the government lifted the 40-year-limit on reactors and allowed their operators to apply for licence renewals.

ESO: Background information: Sign of rethink as ageing Spain plant reprieved http://www.europeansources.info/record/sign-of-rethink-as-ageing-spain-plant-reprieved/

Wikipedia: Santa María de Garoña Nuclear Power Plant https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Mar%C3%ADa_de_Garo%C3%B1a_Nuclear_Power_Plant

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