Nuclear energy in Spain by Mari Carmen Muñoz.

Nuclear energy is one of the safest energies that can be used to achieve many desired results, provided it´s used safely with due precautions. It can be used in different fields for peaceful purposes such as electricity generation, medicinal purposes, reducing pollution, etc. Here´s an elaborate explanation about its benefits.

Spain is notable for power stations uprates. It has a program to add 810 MWe (11%) to its nuclear capacity through upgrading its nine reactors by up to 13%. For instance, the Almaraz nuclear station is being boosted by more than 5% at a cost of US$ 50 million. Some 519 MWe of the overall increase is already in place.

In February 2011 parliament removed a legal provision limiting nuclear plant operating life to 40 years, and early in 2012 an industry report recommended in principle 20-year life extensions.

The Socialist government to 2011 came to power on an anti-nuclear platform, but apart from opposing the renewal of licence for the Santa Maria de Garoña station, an early BWR-3 model, it was increasingly positive about nuclear power. In 2011 the responsible minister said that nuclear plants were "essential for the supply of electricity in Spain" and that almost all nuclear power units "will be open, operating and even repowering" until 2021. Also he said that "nuclear energy will be useful as a source of electricity for cars," which the government was promoting, hoping to have one million electric vehicles on the road by 2014. However, that government remained opposed to new nuclear station construction. The Socialist government's anti-nuclear policy was never taken into legislation.

The November 2011 election brought about a change of government which revised the decision to close Garoña, potentially allowing operation to 2019.

Power reactors operating in Spain

Reactors	Type	Net MWe	First power	Commercial operation	Owner (%); operator	Licence expires
Almaraz 1	PWR	947 (1015)	1981	1981	Iberdrola 53%, Endesa 36%, Union Fenosa 11%; CNAT	6/2020
Almaraz 2	PWR	956	1983	1984		6/2020
Asco 1	PWR	996	1983	1984	Endesa (100%); ANAV	10/2021
Asco 2	PWR	992	1985	1986	Endesa (85%); ANAV	10/2021
Cofrentes	BWR	1063	1984	1985	Iberdrola (100%); Iberdrola	3/2021
Trillo 1	PWR	1003	1988	1988	Iberdrola (48%); CNAT	11/2014
Vandellos 2	PWR	1045	1987	1988	Endesa (78%); ANAV	7/2020
Total (8)		7002 MWe

The Program of Advanced Nuclear Stations is working on the development of Westinghouse AP 600 and GE Advanced Boiling Water Reactors. Spain is also participating in the development of European Utility Requirements (EUR) in relation to advanced nuclear technology and is part of the International Atomic Energy Agency's INPRO project

Currently operating in Spain 8 nuclear reactors. They are usually classified into three stages according to their time of construction and other relevant criteria. Garoña belongs to the first stage, along with the already closed Vandellós I (closed in 1989) and José Cabrera closed in 2006. These plants were built in the second half of the 60s.
To the second stage belong the Almaraz (which has two reactors), Ascó (also with two reactors) and Cofrentes, networked between 1983 and 1986. National participation was around 60 per 100 between civil works and equipment, with important effects on the Spanish industry drivers.
To the third stage belong Trillo and Vandellós II, after twelve years of political uncertainty plagued construction. The Spanish nuclear industry was consolidated at this stage, with the construction of factories both equipment and fuel, the implementation of a number of specialized service companies and the creation of the National Radioactive Waste (ENRESA).
All this activity involved a major effort to assimilate technology and training technicians and specialists, which resulted in a high quality nuclear fleet, teams of highly skilled operation and very high figures of national participation in the construction of nuclear power plants , from 43% of total first generation plants to 75% in the second and 85% in the third.
Nuclear plants were built today are a very important asset in the electricity generation market. Technology has proven to be able to keep operating and to include in them the technical improvements that have been developed, enabling a continuous and safe operation, allowing extend life.

Advantages:

·       Almost 0 emissions (very low greenhouse gas emissions).

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·       They can be sited almost anywhere unlike oil which is mostly imported.

·       The stations almost never experience problems if not from human error, which almost never happens anyway because the plant only needs about 10 people to operate it.

·       A small amount of matter creates a large amount of energy.

·       A lot of energy is generated from a single power station.

·       A truckload of Uranium is equivalent in energy to 10,000+ truckloads of coal. (Assuming the Uranium is fully utilized.)

·       A nuclear aircraft carrier can circle the globe continuously for 30 years on its original fuel while a diesel fueled carrier has a range of only about 3000 miles before having to refuel.

·       Modern reactors have two to ten times more efficiency than the old generation reactors currently in use.

·       New reactor types have been designed to make it physically impossible to melt down. As the core gets hotter the reaction gets slower, hence a run-away reaction leading to a melt-down is not possible.

·       Theoretical reactors (traveling wave) are proposed to completely eliminate any long-lived nuclear waste created from the process.

·       Breeder reactors create more usable fuel than they use.

Disadvantages:

·       Nuclear plants are more expensive to build and maintain.

·       Proliferation concerns - breeder reactors yield products that could potentially be stolen and turned into an atomic weapon.

·       Waste products are dangerous and need to be carefully stored for long periods of time. The spent fuel is highly radioactive and has to be carefully stored for many years or decades after use. This adds to the costs.

·       Early nuclear research and experimentation has created massive contamination problems that are still uncontained.

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·       Nuclear power plants can be dangerous to its surroundings and employees. It would cost a lot to clean in case of spillages.

·       There exist safety concerns if the station is not operated correctly or conditions arise that were unforeseen when the plant was developed, as happened at the Fukushima plant in Japan; the core melted down following an earthquake and tsunami the station was not designed to handle despite the world's strongest earthquake codes.