The CEO of Endesa, Gianni Armani, believes that the decision to extend the operational life of the Almaraz nuclear plant until 2030 lays "some of the foundations" for reconsidering the planned closure schedule of the nuclear fleet in Spain.
During a conference with analysts to comment on the company's results for the first nine months of the fiscal year, Armani, who in his opening remarks extended his condolences to the victims and relatives of the railway accident that occurred this morning in the province of Toledo, recalled that the decision taken last August on Almaraz "changes the useful life extension only by a few years," but "sets some of the key foundations for a future assessment".
In this vein, the executive opened the door to a review of the nuclear fleet closure schedule, which the current Government officially keeps set at 2035, despite the extension granted to Almaraz until June 2030.
According to Armani, in the current energy context the extension of Almaraz recognizes that the firm capacity of nuclear power "is strategically necessary" and that, in addition, "it is less exposed to market volatility." Nevertheless, he emphasized the "enormous tax burden" borne by this technology.
According to the executive of the utility, all these "elements clearly pave the way for a review of the entire nuclear fleet in Spain, which we see will be part of the discussion with the institutions next year".
Ancillary services: impact of up to 6 billion
In other matters, Armani referred to the "significant growth" in ancillary services costs, driven largely by the so-called "reinforced operation" under which the electrical system has operated since the blackout of April 28, 2025. With an amount that already exceeds 4 billion euros at the end of September, the executive estimated that these costs will stand between 5.5 and 6 billion euros by the end of the year.
"It is clearly a significant impact in which retail customers have been largely protected by the liberalized market," he noted, although he warned that it does affect consumers who do not have forward contracts.
For this reason, he defended that, as has been done in Portugal, this cost should stop being variable and volatile and become a regulated cost. "This being a cost shared for security that should be assumed by all consumers," he stated.