Spain’s Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) has authorised the operation of the Almaraz nuclear power plant until October 2028, establishing 13 limits and conditions.

This followed agreement between the government and the companies on the plant in which they will invest up to €600 million ($649m).

CSN has agreed to allow Almaraz 1 (which began operating in 1981) to operate until November 2027 and Almaraz 2 (which began in 1983) until October 2028. The report will be forwarded to the Ministry for Ecological Transition for final authorisation.

The CSN decision is based on the verification of compliance by its owners - Iberdrola (53%), Endesa (36%) and Naturgy (11%) – of the conditions of the current authorisation, granted in 2010, and from the associated technical instructions, the Periodic Safety Review and the conditional application regulations.

CSN took into account the results of 44 specialised technical reports, as well as regulatory requirements and periodic inspections of the installation.

The electricity companies and the government agreed a closure schedule for Spain's nuclear power plants that has been incorporated into the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC) and its energy planning. Almaraz is the first of the to be closed, and the two in Catalonia, Ascó and Vandellós, will be the last.