Esta central nuclear está à nossa porta.
A escassos Km da nossa fronteira.
SPONSORED CONTENT FROM SÍ A ALMARAZ, SÍ AL FUTURO
The EU and its sovereignty: Almaraz power plant is a turning point
Losing Almaraz would be a loss for both the region and Europe. Let’s not harm our competitiveness and energy security when they are needed most.
BY FERNANDO SÁNCHEZ, PRESIDENT OF THE PLATFORM ‘SÍ A ALMARAZ, SÍ AL FUTURO’ (‘YES TO ALMARAZ, YES TO THE FUTURE’)
These are difficult times for Europe. They are times that compel us to focus on policies that guarantee our autonomy and sovereignty. The plan to finance European rearmament announced recently by the European Commission shows the even greater need for a united, sovereign and autonomous Europe. And energy is an absolutely essential piece of this puzzle. The EU needs more energy independence, a reality we have known for a long time but that has been manifesting itself in stark relief since 2022, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and even more so in recent weeks.
This geopolitical premise, immovable in the current situation, is also seen in every region of the EU. I’m writing from a small area in the north of Extremadura, Campo Arañuelo, almost halfway between Madrid and Lisbon. The Almaraz nuclear power plant is located here. Almaraz has two reactors that supply 7 percent of all the energy produced in Spain. In addition to being the mayor of one of the villages in the area, I direct a platform, ‘Sí a Almaraz, Sí al futuro’, created less than three months ago to work toward extending the useful life of the Almaraz nuclear power plant, which provides about 3,000 jobs, both direct and indirect. We have no time to lose. According to a 2020 order from the Spanish Ministry of Ecological Transition, led then by Teresa Ribera, Almaraz will have to close its doors permanently in 2028, and the first steps toward its dismantling would begin this year. Almaraz would be the first power plant to fall on a schedule to close all Spanish nuclear power plants, ending in 2035.
Sí a Almaraz, Sí al futuro is succeeding in mobilizing more and more people and organizations, both in Extremadura and in Spain. Our region, Extremadura, historically pushed aside when it comes to the interests of other richer or more populated Spanish regions, is no longer willing to let itself be sacrificed for the interests of others. We no longer believe in grand plans that never come true. And it’s very clear to us that if Almaraz is closed, the process of depopulation and aging in Extremadura will just be exacerbated. It is estimated that 30% of the population in Extremadura will be over 65 years of age by 2037 compared with 21% today, with a fall in the total population of around 5%.
But this struggle is not only ours. We are not only defending our jobs. That Almaraz continues is as necessary for all of Spain as it is for Europe. This is why next week a delegation from the platform, made up of mayors and representatives from civil society, will work in Brussels with representatives of the Europeans Commission and Parliament to help them understand the depth of what is at stake.
To be competitive and independent, Europe needs a mature energy production system. This must have reasonable taxation, decreasing costs, be cheap, stable, meet safety standards and respect the environment, not emitting CO2. In the current geopolitical situation, and with the current technological development of solutions to store renewable energies, this European energy mix must include nuclear energy no matter what. Of course, the platform is a strong supporter of renewable energies, in which Spain and Extremadura are very well positioned, and believes that both production sources are not only compatible but are also mutually complementary. But with current technological development, it simply isn’t responsible to defend replacing the solid power of nuclear with the intermittent power of renewables.
With current technological development, it simply isn’t responsible to defend replacing the solid power of nuclear with the intermittent power of renewables.
It is also a question of economic competitiveness. As both the Letta and Draghi reports repeatedly warn, without a stable energy supply at a competitive price, European industries – including the defense industries – will not be able to survive in a hostile foreign market, against competitors sometimes ‘doped up’ by their governments or regimes. We have been promised new industries that would replace the Almaraz power plant as a driving economic force in the region. But it’s very clear to us that no new industry is willing to invest in an area without the assurance of a stable energy supply. And Extremadura needs investments. Our GDP per capita is less than 75 percent of the EU average, so we are recipients of ERDF funds and the European Social Fund Plus, whose objectives are to reduce regional inequalities. With this data, closing Almaraz would deepen our discrimination.
O mais grave, para mim naturalmente, é que tem muitos anos, é de tecnologia antiga, já deu problemas e, APARENTEMENTE, estaria para ser desmantelada.
Repito, APARENTEMENTE!
SPONSORED CONTENT FROM SÍ A ALMARAZ, SÍ AL FUTURO
The EU and its sovereignty: Almaraz power plant is a turning point
Losing Almaraz would be a loss for both the region and Europe. Let’s not harm our competitiveness and energy security when they are needed most.
BY FERNANDO SÁNCHEZ, PRESIDENT OF THE PLATFORM ‘SÍ A ALMARAZ, SÍ AL FUTURO’ (‘YES TO ALMARAZ, YES TO THE FUTURE’)
These are difficult times for Europe. They are times that compel us to focus on policies that guarantee our autonomy and sovereignty. The plan to finance European rearmament announced recently by the European Commission shows the even greater need for a united, sovereign and autonomous Europe. And energy is an absolutely essential piece of this puzzle. The EU needs more energy independence, a reality we have known for a long time but that has been manifesting itself in stark relief since 2022, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and even more so in recent weeks.
This geopolitical premise, immovable in the current situation, is also seen in every region of the EU. I’m writing from a small area in the north of Extremadura, Campo Arañuelo, almost halfway between Madrid and Lisbon. The Almaraz nuclear power plant is located here. Almaraz has two reactors that supply 7 percent of all the energy produced in Spain. In addition to being the mayor of one of the villages in the area, I direct a platform, ‘Sí a Almaraz, Sí al futuro’, created less than three months ago to work toward extending the useful life of the Almaraz nuclear power plant, which provides about 3,000 jobs, both direct and indirect. We have no time to lose. According to a 2020 order from the Spanish Ministry of Ecological Transition, led then by Teresa Ribera, Almaraz will have to close its doors permanently in 2028, and the first steps toward its dismantling would begin this year. Almaraz would be the first power plant to fall on a schedule to close all Spanish nuclear power plants, ending in 2035.
Sí a Almaraz, Sí al futuro is succeeding in mobilizing more and more people and organizations, both in Extremadura and in Spain. Our region, Extremadura, historically pushed aside when it comes to the interests of other richer or more populated Spanish regions, is no longer willing to let itself be sacrificed for the interests of others. We no longer believe in grand plans that never come true. And it’s very clear to us that if Almaraz is closed, the process of depopulation and aging in Extremadura will just be exacerbated. It is estimated that 30% of the population in Extremadura will be over 65 years of age by 2037 compared with 21% today, with a fall in the total population of around 5%.
But this struggle is not only ours. We are not only defending our jobs. That Almaraz continues is as necessary for all of Spain as it is for Europe. This is why next week a delegation from the platform, made up of mayors and representatives from civil society, will work in Brussels with representatives of the Europeans Commission and Parliament to help them understand the depth of what is at stake.
To be competitive and independent, Europe needs a mature energy production system. This must have reasonable taxation, decreasing costs, be cheap, stable, meet safety standards and respect the environment, not emitting CO2. In the current geopolitical situation, and with the current technological development of solutions to store renewable energies, this European energy mix must include nuclear energy no matter what. Of course, the platform is a strong supporter of renewable energies, in which Spain and Extremadura are very well positioned, and believes that both production sources are not only compatible but are also mutually complementary. But with current technological development, it simply isn’t responsible to defend replacing the solid power of nuclear with the intermittent power of renewables.
With current technological development, it simply isn’t responsible to defend replacing the solid power of nuclear with the intermittent power of renewables.
It is also a question of economic competitiveness. As both the Letta and Draghi reports repeatedly warn, without a stable energy supply at a competitive price, European industries – including the defense industries – will not be able to survive in a hostile foreign market, against competitors sometimes ‘doped up’ by their governments or regimes. We have been promised new industries that would replace the Almaraz power plant as a driving economic force in the region. But it’s very clear to us that no new industry is willing to invest in an area without the assurance of a stable energy supply. And Extremadura needs investments. Our GDP per capita is less than 75 percent of the EU average, so we are recipients of ERDF funds and the European Social Fund Plus, whose objectives are to reduce regional inequalities. With this data, closing Almaraz would deepen our discrimination.
Este artigo é do jornal "Politico".
Certos espanhóis aqui defendem a continuação (ad eternum?) do funcionamento desta velha central.
Argumentos inarráveis (para mim naturalmente), tipo "sim ao futuro", "sim à Europa", "competitividade" etc.
Posso ter lido mal, mas não li nenhuma preocupação pela qualidade da manutenção desta velha central, pelos potenciais perigos dado que é de tecnologia antiga e já houve sustos, etc.
Claro que as inarráveis criaturas do PAN estão é preocupados por exemplo com os animais de estimação, tal como a esquerdalhada toda, e tal como a direita civilizada que se preocupam tanto com isto como eu pela cor das nuvens no céu.
Ainda não houve nenhum acidente grave, não é?
Quando houver, lá sairão as vacuidades e lamentos do costume, vomitadas por muitos, desde jornalistas, ambientalistas, verdes e azuis, ao inarrável inquilino em Belém, ao inarrável inquilino em São Bento, aos inarráveis deputados de todas as cores, à quantidade de "notáveis" que vagueiam em redor da mesa do OE.
António Cabral (AC)
