Spain History Timeline

History of Spanish Nuclear & Politics

1970's

1975

1973

1951

Construction Begins on Almaraz 1 & 2

Separatists Oppose Lemóniz

Nuclear Energy Board Founded

1st National Energy Plan

1965

1970's

1974

1975

Construction Starts on Ascó 1

Construction Starts on Ascó 2 & Cofrentes

Construction Begins on Zorita

Environmentalists Oppose Nuclear

History of Spanish Nuclear & Politics

1980

1981

1978-79

1976

Construction Starts on Vandellos 2

Anti-nuclear March and Petition

Lemóniz Head Engineer Killed by ETA

Demonstrations Against Nuclear Plants Increase

1983

1976

1981

1979

PSOE Passes a Nuclear Moratorium

Construction Starts on Trillo 1

Anti-nuclear Sticker Designed

Almaraz 1 Begins Commercial Operation

History of Spanish Nuclear & Politics

2023

2006

1985

1988

1983

Ascó 2 is Connected to the Grid

Phaseout Confirmed

Almaraz 2 and Ascó 1 are Connected to the Grid

"Zorita Disconnected from the Grid

Trillo 1 Enters Commercial Operation

1987

1984

2016

1989

Catalonia Passes a Tax on Nuclear Plants

Vandellós II Begins Commercial Operation

Cofrentes Begins Commercial Operation

Vandellós 1 Closed Due to Near Core Meltdown

1979

Construction Starts on Trillo 1

Construction begins on Trillo 1, a 1003 MW PWR. It is located along the Tajo River. An identical second unit was canceled due to a change of government in 1983.

1970's

Environmentalists Oppose Nuclear Energy

Anti-nuclear environmentalists pushed against the drive for nuclear power.

Lemoniz Nuclear Power plant became a rallying point and “Comisión de Defensa de una costa Vasca no Nuclear” (“Defense Commission of a non-nuclear Basque coast”) formed to oppose the new power plant.

1951

Nuclear Energy Board Founded

The Nuclear Energy Board is founded to research and develop nuclear energy. General Francisco Franco, the dictator at the time, wanted to pursue both military and civilian (economic) applications of the energy.

1970's

ETA Oppose Lemóniz Nuclear

A strong anti-nuclear movement develops. The Basque separatist group Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA), deemed terrorists, strongly opposed Lemóniz Nuclear Power Plant.

2016

Catalonia Imposes Tax on Nuclear

The government passed a discriminating tax on nuclear energy, introduced as a "public safety tax", based on the nameplate capacity of Spain's reactors. This comes on top of a nationwide tax on nuclear waste introduced in 2012.

1984

Cofrentes Begins Commercial Operation

Cofrentes begins commercial operation. Upon completion, Cofrentes became the largest nuclear plant in the Spanish fleet, at 1,102 MW. Since 1984, Cofrentes has been the main power generation facility in the Valencia region, providing nearly half of all energy generated.

1981

Lemóniz Head Engineer Killed by ETA

The ETA kills José María Ryan, the head engineer of the Lemoniz project, essentially stopping work at the plant. Iberduero, the contractor, facing low public support and violent ETA attacks, stopped the project in 1983.

1976

Group Opposes Lemóniz

The Comisión de Defensa de una Costa Vasca no Nuclear gained 150,000 signatures to halt the plant and on August 29, marched with 50,000 people from Plentzia to Gorliz chanting “For a non-nuclear Basque coast”, “For public control of our environment”, and “For public participation in the design of our country.”

2023

Government Confirms the Nuclear Phaseout

The Socialist Spanish government announces its intention to phase out all 7 nuclear reactors. The first reactor is planned to be taken offline in 2027. Total decommissioning costs are predicted to be €20.2 billion. Once a decommissioning permit is approved, control of plants transfers from owners and operators to ENRESA, who become responsible for the site and management of radioactive waste.

1973

Construction Begins on Almaraz 1 & 2

Consisting of a 1011 and a 1006 MW PWR, the plant is located in the province of Cáceres. Over 80% of construction and setup was done by Spanish companies. Employment during construction years peaked at 4,500 workers in 1976.

1985

Almaraz 2 and Ascó 1 are Connected to the Grid

Almaraz 2 and Ascó 1 are connected to the grid. Ascó is located in the Tarragona province and is entirely owned by utility Endesa. Almaraz is owned by Iberdrola, Endesa, and Gas Natural Fenosa Generacion. Siemens supplied the steam turbine for Almaraz.

1974

Construction Starts on Ascó 1

Construction begins on Ascó 1, a three loop PWR. Cooling for the reactor is provided by the Ebro river. The land around the plant is used to cultivate fruit and olives.

1981

Almaraz 1 Begins Commercial Operation

Almaraz 1, 1049 MW reactor begins commercial operation. It is located in Extremadura, Spain. The PWR was developed by Westinghouse, the main contractor on the project.

1985

Ascó 2 is Connected to the Grid

Ascó 2 is connected to the grid. The nuclear plant sought to foster good relationships with the public by allowing activities of general interest on its surrounding land with local cultural and sports associations. In 2011, the plant opened an interactive visiting center, open to the public.

1988

Trillo 1 Enters Commercial Operation

From the outset of operation, the plant's owners focused on communication. The plant has blogs, magazines, and other various publications. They also organize cultural events on the site of the nuclear plant. The Information Center formed in 1981 to bring the local community and the nuclear plant together. The plant employs around 400 employees.

1975

National Energy Plan Established

The first national energy plan was established and nuclear was expected to play a large role for the next decade. Coal and nuclear were promoted as substitutes for oil, responding to the international crisis that started in 1973.

1965

Construction Begins on Zorita

Construction begins on Zorita (Jose Cabrera 1), the first nuclear plant, at 150 MW. It comes online in 1968. By 1988, the country will construct 10 reactors across the country.

1983

Socialists Pass Nuclear Moratorium

The Partido Socialista Obrero Español (PSOE) / Spanish Socialist Workers Party, elected in 1982 and in power until 1996, passed a nuclear moratorium in 1983. Felipe González held power as the Prime Minister of Spain during this period. The moratorium stopped construction of new nuclear plants beginning in 1984. Only 10 of the originally 37 planned commercial reactors ended up being built. González pictured at left.

1975

Construction Starts on Ascó 2 and Cofrentes

Construction Starts on Ascó 2 and Cofrentes. Cofrentes is built on the bank of the Júcar River, which provides its cooling water. The plant is a BWR-6 and provides 65% of Valencia's electricity, 61 km away.

1978

Activists Oppose Nuclear Construction

On February 12, 1978, 4,000 anti-nuclear activists demonstrated in Mungia resulting in 40 arrests. Anti-nuclear demonstrations became more common, as did violent attacks by ETA separatists. Activists organized sit-ins, lock-ins, marches, and hunger strikes to oppose nuclear construction.

2006

Zorita Disconnected from the Grid

Per the law passed by the Ministry of Economy, Spain’s first nuclear plant, José Cabrera, also known as Zorita, disconnected from the grid after 38 years of operation. It prevented 32.37 million tons of CO2 from being released and provided 300 jobs and 6,000 indirect jobs.

1980

Construction Starts on Vandellos 2

Construction starts on Vandellos 2. Of all the nuclear plants, Vandellos had the highest share of national (Spanish) involvement in construction and supplying equipment, at over 89%. The plant is located on the Mediterranean Coast.

1976

Sticker Created for Anti-nuclear Basques

The Basque sculptor Eduardo Chillida joined the anti-nuclear movement, designing a sticker that became a symbol of anti-nuclear basques. It read “Ez, ez, ez, zentral nuklearrik ez” ("No, no, no, not a nuclear power station").

1987

Vandellós II Begins Commercial Operation

Vandellós II connects to the grid and begins commercial operation. The plant normally employs 550 workers. The plant is involved in the local community, participating in education programs, developing employment, and collaborating with medical services through agreements with the local town council. The plant is owned by Endesa and Iberdrola.

1989

A Fire Nearly Leads to a Core Meltdown at Vandellós 1

A fire broke out at Vandellós I, narrowly avoiding a core meltdown. Due to the incident, the plant was shut down by ministerial order. The plant would be dismantled between 1998 and 2003, the first Spanish reactor to be dismantled.