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Did you know that one in five light bulbs use nuclear energy? The energy obtained from nuclear generation covers our daily power supply requirements more than the energy obtained from any other technology. Nuclear plants currently produce 21% of the total power in the Spanish energy grid.
We are the first nuclear operator in Spain, so we fully understand the advantages of having this type of energy to guarantee reliable, emission-free supply in the transition to the "decarbonisation" of energy.
This is the target agreed at the Paris Climate Summit and with which we are fully committed: to reach a 100% emission free energy model by 2050.
As Nuclear Forum President Ignacio Araluce said, "nuclear energy is an extremely important component of the energy mix in Spain, most notably for its stability in the grid, which provides excellent security of supply, and for the absence of CO2 emissions in accordance with all the Paris Agreements".
“Nuclear energy is an extremely important component of the energy mix in Spain, among other reasons, because of its stability in the grid, which makes the supply extremely reliable and because it does not emit any CO2.”
Ignacio Araluce, president of Foro Nuclear.
According to the study "A Sustainable Energy Model for Spain in 2050" produced by Deloitte, in the evolution toward a carbon-free model in 2050, nuclear power can guarantee security of supply and stability of end-user energy prices until renewables and energy storage systems are fully developed. This is why at Endesa we endorse extending the operation of nuclear plants for up to another 50 or 60 years, just like other European countries are doing, to comply with the Paris Agreements.
We are not alone in our endorsement to maintain nuclear plants: European countries such as Sweden, the United Kingdom, France and Finland, along with several states in the USA, all consider it to be vital to avoid the environmental and economic consequences that their closing would entail.
In terms of safety, the plants owned by Endesa are in the final phase of the implementation of the Safety Reinforcement Project, derived from the post-Fukushima measures. Overall, around 30 million euros have been invested per unit to improve the robustness of the plants and to guarantee the safety thereof in the long term, including in the event of extreme natural disasters, such as earthquakes, fires or large-scale flooding.
At Endesa, since the plants were inaugurated, we have worked extremely hard, investing to improve and guarantee the safety of all the plants: every year we carry out technological updates to ensure the optimal performance and modernisation of the power plants.
According to the General Manager of Nuclear Iberia at Endesa, Juan María Moreno Mellado, “for every 100 euros invested in the plants during their construction phase, over the last 20 years we have invested another 60. We have worked extremely hard to keep the plants up-to-date and as safe as possible".
“We have worked extremely hard to keep the plants up-to-date and as safe as possible.”
Juan María Moreno Mellado. General Manager of Nuclear Iberia at Endesa.
Over the coming years 500 million euros will be invested in order to continue with the improvement process that allows this technology to be used in the future.
Nuclear energy is a technology capable of producing large amounts of sustainable energy without contributing to climate change: it doesn’t release carbon oxides, sulphur, nitrogen or ash into the atmosphere; it generates 33% of the greenhouse gas effects of free energy, and avoids 45 to 50 million tons of CO2 every year.
This energy is the key to the production of energy in the future. If we want to guarantee sustainable and competitive production capable of satisfying increasing demand with security of supply, nuclear energy is the best way.