Sánchez’s good example on nuclear power

The Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, has extended the operating licence for the two reactors at the Almaraz nuclear power station in Extremadura until 2030; otherwise, operations would have had to be suspended from November next year. Although this is merely a three-year postponement, politically speaking it is a sensational decision, as it contradicts the plan to phase out nuclear power – one of the key points of the coalition agreement signed in 2019 between the PSOE and Podemos (and, subsequently, Sumar). The commitment to decommission all existing power stations – which together meet around 20 per cent of Spain’s electricity needs – by 2035 remains formally in force.

However, the shift in attitude is crystal clear: it responds not only to the technical vulnerabilities of the Spanish electricity system that came to light during the blackout in April 2025, but also to a new political direction. It is no coincidence that the request from the company operating the power station has found support amongst the people of Extremadura, where the left suffered a heavy defeat in last year’s elections and where the plant employs around 4,000 people. Strong pressure has also come from Brussels to keep the power station – which alone accounts for 7 per cent of the country’s electricity consumption – operational: in February, a delegation from the European Parliament, led by the Polish conservative Bogdan Rzonca, described the closure as “purely political and ideological, with no technical basis”. Sánchez’s pragmatism should set off alarm bells in Rome: first and foremost on the left, where the Spanish model is invoked uncritically, ignoring the fundamental role of nuclear power. But also on the right: as reported yesterday in Il Foglio, the government has failed to keep its promise to pass the enabling act on nuclear power by the summer, making it impossible to take concrete steps before the end of the parliamentary term. In short: some are calling for us to copy Spain whilst pretending that nuclear power does not exist; others talk the talk but are afraid to walk the walk. Follow Sánchez’s example!