Madrid-based Foro Nuclear said data shows that nuclear has been the primary source of production for 10 consecutive years. Nuclear plants have operated the most hours, with an operating factor of 86.72%, and avoided the most emissions.
The country’s reactors have been producing more than a fifth of its electricity for 10 consecutive years.
“This is a fundamental guarantee for the stable and continuous operation of the electricity system in Spain,” Foro Nuclear said.
In 2021, Spanish nuclear power plants produced just over 54 TWh (net) of electricity, about 3% less than the 55.7 TWh in 2020.
The decline was the result of scheduled outages at six units, with Ascó-2 the only plant that wasn’t taken offline. Some outages were longer than usual because of measures adopted against Covid-19.
The Spanish government’s energy and climate plan specifies that installed nuclear capacity will remain at current levels until at least 2025, but will be reduced to just over 3,000 MW from 2030 onwards.
A May 2021 International Energy Agency report said Spain should not rule out nuclear energy as an option beyond 2050 with reactor technology having the potential to contribute to decarbonisation through high-temperature heat supply and hydrogen production.
Foro Nuclear has repeatedly urged the government to reduce what it called the “suffocating” fiscal pressure on the nuclear fleet.
