The Spanish government has authorized the Almaraz nuclear power plant to continue operating until 2030, according to a decision published on Friday in the country's Official State Gazette.
The decision to renew the operating licenses of Units 1 and 2 allows the plant's two reactors to operate until June 8, 2030.
According to operator Centrales Nucleares Almaraz-Trillo, the plant in the western province of Caceres produces around 7% of Spain's annual electricity demand, equivalent to the consumption of about 4 million homes.
The plant's three owners, Iberdrola, Endesa and Naturgy, requested an extension of the reactors' operating lives in October 2025.
The reactors had previously been scheduled to shut down in phases, with Unit 1 closing Nov. 1, 2027, and Unit 2 on Oct. 31, 2028.
The order issued by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition said the extension is subject to compliance with safety conditions and instructions set by the Nuclear Safety Council.
The ministry said the plant is safe and will continue operating at "no cost to citizens," according to Spanish public broadcaster RTVE.
It justified the extension by citing "the new international energy context and the volatility of gas prices resulting from the crisis in the Middle East."
At the same time, ministry sources told RTVE that extending the plant's operations does not alter the government's plan to completely phase out nuclear power in Spain by 2035.
The planned nuclear phaseout comes as renewables account for a growing share of Spain's electricity mix, generating 56.6% of the country's electricity in 2025, according to the national grid operator.
