- Order TED/864/2026 extends Almaraz units I and II, due to close in 2027 and 2028, to 8 June 2030.
- The Government justifies it by energy uncertainty and says the closure of the nuclear fleet in 2035 does not change.
- For companies, what matters is the price of energy and the system’s firm capacity while renewables and storage grow.
The Official State Gazette of Friday 14 August 2026 published Order TED/864/2026 of 12 August, by which the Ministry for Ecological Transition renews the operating authorisation of the Almaraz nuclear plant, in Cáceres. Units I and II may operate until 8 June 2030. The previous timetable set their shutdown for 1 November 2027 and 31 October 2028 respectively. The owner, through the company Centrales Nucleares Almaraz-Trillo, had requested the extension on 30 October 2025.
The Nuclear Safety Council issued a favourable report, conditional on operation respecting the limits and conditions in the annex to the order. The Ministry justifies the extension by the energy context and the price of gas after the Middle East crisis and the war in Ukraine, describes it as a limited, short-term extension and insists that it carries no cost for consumers and that the closure date for the whole nuclear fleet remains 2035.
Why now
Almaraz supplies about 7 % of the electricity produced in Spain, according to figures cited by the press, and is the plant that has generated the most energy in the country’s history. Since the blackout of 28 April 2025, the debate over the system’s firm capacity, the kind available at any hour and not dependent on wind or sun, has gained weight.
The other factor is cost. When the gas price rises, as it has with the Middle East crisis, the wholesale electricity price tends to rise with it, because gas sets the price in many hours. A nuclear plant that is already built produces electricity without burning gas, which brings stability to the system, although it does not by itself determine the price each consumer pays.
The owners and the extension
Almaraz belongs to Iberdrola (53 %), Endesa (36 %) and Naturgy (11 %). According to published reports, Iberdrola and Endesa proposed a ten-year extension, but Naturgy opposed it; as decisions required unanimity, the shorter period, to 2030, was requested. It is an example of how the governance of a shared asset conditions long-term decisions, something worth bearing in mind in any company with several partners.
The other reactors have their own path: Cofrentes and Ascó I will face the expiry of their authorisations in the coming years and must start renewal procedures with the Nuclear Safety Council. Catalan business leaders have asked for the timetables of Ascó and Vandellós II to be reconsidered, which brings the debate to Catalonia too.
A reading for companies
For industrial consumers, the extension reduces, on paper, one source of uncertainty in energy supply over the next few years, but it does not fix prices: the final bill will still depend on the market, on procurement and on network charges. It is worth reviewing the procurement strategy, whether fixed, indexed or mixed price, and the renewal dates according to each company’s consumption profile.
The decision also has critics. A study by researchers at the Barcelona School of Economics and IREC, published in July, concludes that extending the life of the plants would make the PNIEC’s 2030 renewable electricity target, set at 81 %, unattainable. The Government argues that nuclear provides firm capacity while renewables and storage grow. For anyone planning energy investments, the message is that the framework will remain a matter of debate.
An extension is not a change of model: it buys time, and the time has to be used.
This article is general information. It is not legal, tax or investment advice, and it does not take anyone’s particular circumstances into account.
