The future of Spain’s nuclear power sector depends on the next election

The outcome of the upcoming Spanish election will directly affect the future of Spain’s nuclear industry. According to the latest polls, the opposition Partido Popular (People’s Party) is leading and has recently expressed support for the possibility of extending the operating lives of the country’s nuclear power plants, which are scheduled to be gradually phased out by the end of 2027.

According to information provided by the Reuters news website, the debate over the phase-out is taking place as the country faces high temperatures, which are often linked in public discussion to ongoing climate change. At the same time, the debate is dividing society into two camps. The first includes those advocating for extending the operating lives of nuclear power plants, particularly representatives of the People’s Party. On the other side of the spectrum are the governing Socialists, who support the idea of rapidly decarbonizing the economy.

If Spain chooses to extend the operating lives of its nuclear power plants, it will have to make substantial investments in the sector. The People’s Party argues, however, that such a decision would provide the certainty of a stable energy source and could improve relations with neighboring France, which depends on nuclear power. A shift to solar and wind power offers a cheaper way to generate energy, but would require changes to the power grid to prepare it for intermittent supply.