The senator of the Popular Party for Guadalajara, María Patricio, has valued the decision of the Government of Spain to extend the useful life of the Almaraz nuclear power plant (Cáceres) until 2030 and has demanded from Pedro Sánchez's Executive that this rectification is not limited to that specific plant, but that it involves reviewing the closure schedule of all nuclear power plants in the country, including Trillo (Guadalajara).
According to what the party has conveyed, the parliamentarian has emphasized that the decision regarding Almaraz represents "an amendment of the Government to its own energy policy" and highlights, in her view, that the nuclear closure program "responds more to ideological conditions than to the energy, economic, and strategic needs of our country."
In this line, she has insisted that the continuity of Almaraz is positive news, but has warned that "the decision will be insufficient if the Executive keeps the rest of its nuclear schedule intact." In her opinion, if the Government accepts that this plant can remain active, it must justify why it does not apply the same criterion to the rest of the facilities that have the corresponding technical endorsement.
The 'popular' representative has recalled that the Popular Party has been defending in various parliamentary initiatives the extension of the useful life of Spanish nuclear power plants and an energy model in which nuclear energy and renewables act as complementary technologies. In this sense, she has reiterated that "we are not proposing a battle between technologies, we want renewables and we want nuclear, we want all the energy that allows Spain to have sufficient, stable, competitive supply and with less dependence on the outside."
Trillo, a key piece for the economy of Guadalajara
María Patricio has particularly focused on the repercussions that this debate has for the province of Guadalajara and has asked the Government to take into account the strong economic, labor, and social impact that the Trillo nuclear power plant generates in the territory and, in particular, in the municipalities of its immediate surroundings.
He emphasized that "those of us from Guadalajara know perfectly what Trillo means, we are not just talking about a power plant, we are talking about thousands of workers, companies, suppliers, economic activity, and families that have built their future around a fundamental facility for our province." In his view, "Trillo is one of the great economic and industrial engines of Guadalajara and also plays a fundamental role in a rural area that needs employment, investment, and opportunities."
For this reason, he warned that "closing Trillo by a date politically decided, regardless of its technical situation, would have consequences that go far beyond electricity production." In his opinion, it is easy to set a closure schedule from a distance, but it is much more complex to explain to workers, companies, and neighbors why one wants to give up an infrastructure that generates wealth and employment if it can continue to operate safely.
"Defending Trillo is defending Guadalajara"
The senator of the PP argues that the horizon of nuclear power plants should be defined with technical, economic, and safety criteria, taking the Nuclear Safety Council as a reference body. In this regard, he has raised that "if a plant meets safety conditions and the Nuclear Safety Council endorses its operation, the question that the Government must answer is why Spain should voluntarily give up that generation capacity."
Patricio has reiterated that "nuclear energy is not incompatible with renewables. It is an energy that provides stability to the system and allows us to reduce our energy dependence on third countries. Spain needs an energy policy based on national interest and not on political dogmas."
For all these reasons, he has assured that the Popular Party of Guadalajara will continue to defend in the Cortes Generales the continued operation of the Trillo nuclear power plant as long as the required technical and safety conditions are maintained.