Spanish Planned Nuclear Power Plant Shutdowns for 2012

Following is a table of shutdowns at nuclear power plants in Spain for 2012, according to data from Madrid-based utilities lobby Unesa.

Six of the nation’s eight reactors were operating today, according to the website of Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear, the country’s nuclear regulator. Almaraz II and Trillo are halted for planned maintenance. Spain produces about 20 percent of its electricity from atomic energy.

The table lists halts for plants owned by Endesa SA (ELE),Iberdrola SA (IBE), Gas Natural SDG SA (GAS) and Nucleanor SA. No halts are planned this year for the 1,092-megawatt Cofrentes, the 1,027-megawatt Asco-2 or the 466-megawatt Santa Maria de Garona reactors, Unesa said.

An asterisk highlights a change from the last version of the table.

Unit Name                Megawatts      Out            Return
----------------------------------------------------------------
Almaraz-2                1,045          May 7          June 13
Trillo                   1,066          May 19        *June 15
Vandellos II             1,087          May 26         July 9
Asco 1                   1,033          Oct. 27        Dec. 10
Almaraz-1                1,035          Nov. 4         Dec. 17
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Spain 1,000 MW nuclear plant begins refuelling

May 7 (Reuters) - Spain's 1,000-megawatt Almaraz II nuclear power station was disconnected on Sunday afternoon for scheduled refuelling due to take about 40 days, operators said on Monday.
Spain's seven other nuclear plants were working normally and generating 6,467 MW between them, or 18.4 percent of total demand for power, national grid manager REE and the CSN regulator said.

Spain 1,000 MW nuclear plant at 65 pct capacity

(Reuters) - Spain's 1,000-megawatt Asco II nuclear power station was running at 65 percent of capacity to allow maintenance work to take place, operators said on Monday.

Data from national grid operator REE and the CSN nuclear safety regulator showed Spain's seven other nuclear plants were operating normally and generating 7,090 MW between them, or 18.9 percent.

Spain to extend life of its oldest nuclear plant

Spain will extend operations at its oldest nuclear power plant by five years, Industry Minister Jose Manuel Soria said Saturday as the country seeks to make the most of its energy sources.

"The nuclear safety council has given approval for a five-year extension" of the Garona plant near Burgos, northern Spain, Soria told a meeting of his conservative Popular Party in Seville, southern Spain.

"We cannot allow ourselves to under-utilise any of our energy resources," the minister added, as Spain faces a likely economic recession and has undertaken a major austerity programme to clean up its finances.

"We need a good mix, a good combination" of power sources, Soria said.

Garona, first brought on line in 1971, is owned in equal parts by Spanish power companies Iberdrola and Endesa via their joint venture Nuclenor.

Environmental group Greenpeace has pressed for its closure, portraying it as a "twin sister" of the Fukushima plant in Japan that was hit by an earthquake and tsunami in March 2011, causing reactor meltdowns.

And one of Spain's main environmentalist groups, Ecologistas en accion, said Saturday that "maintaining an old plant that was built before conclusions were drawn from the worst nuclear accidents ... and which suffers from unresolved problems, is irresponsible".

"It is obvious that this body (the nuclear watchdog) represents the interests of Nuclenor, to the detriment of Spanish society".

A decision to shut Garona on April 1, 2013 was overturned as Spain tries to lessen its dependence on fossil fuels.

Spain is home to six nuclear power stations that include eight reactors, and lawmakers agreed in February to extend the pre-established lifespan of 40 years for the facilities.