The PSOE has maintained this Wednesday that the Government's position regarding the Almaraz nuclear power plant (Extremadura) remains "not a millimeter" altered, after the extension of its useful life until 2030 was approved in mid-month. The party thus responds to the criticisms from Sumar, which has described the decision as "treason" to the investiture agreement.
The defense of this position has been the responsibility of the socialist spokesperson in the Permanent Deputation of Congress, Maribel García, during a debate in which the Popular Group demanded the appearance of the third vice president and minister for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), Sara Aagesen, to explain the extension of the plant. The initiative from the PP, which had the support of Vox and Junts, was ultimately rejected, although the minister herself has already requested to attend the Lower House.
In her speech, García reminded the PP and Vox that the president of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, set three conditions to greenlight the extension of Almaraz: nuclear safety, guarantee of electricity supply, and absence of additional costs for consumers and taxpayers.
"In contrast to that, the PP and Vox did nothing but what they always do, launch a campaign on social media of misinformation, of falsehoods, of lies and manipulation directed at thousands of Extremaduran women and men. Ladies and gentlemen, the Government's position has not changed a millimeter. Three requirements had to be met to ensure the safety of citizens, and that is what has happened," she emphasized.
The socialist spokesperson also reproached that the regional government of Extremadura is going to "forgive" 150 million euros to the electricity companies owning Almaraz. "Could fire prevention in Extremadura be improved with those 150 million? Of course it could, but (the Extremaduran president, María) Guardiola has decided not to," she criticized.
On the part of the PP, their spokesperson Guillermo Mariscal insisted that Aagesen must attend Congress to speak exclusively about the extension of Almaraz. In his opinion, "perhaps" the third vice president avoids doing so because "without a doubt, it would mean acknowledging a very painful defeat: admitting the failure of her energy policy."
The popular leader has also raised whether the minister intends to "avoid" certain questions by not appearing specifically about the Extremaduran plant and has questioned, among other aspects, whether the recent 'blackout' would have occurred if the Almaraz reactors had been operational "at 100%".
"What has changed? The energy reality of Spain or the energy policy of the Government? If the reality has changed, explain it to this Chamber. And if what has changed is the energy policy, they should explain to the Spaniards why they brought us here," he demanded.
Mariscal has also criticized that the decision to extend the plant's activity was made "in secret, without giving explanations, in the middle of August." In his opinion, "it would also be good to know if the vice president of the Government understands that the useful life of Almaraz needs to be extended, and that seems to be what this ministerial order estimates. What happens with the rest of the nuclear plants?". He recalled that the PP has rejected the closure of the nuclear park and that the party leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, "has guaranteed that his Government will extend the useful life of all nuclear plants, as long as that continuity has the support of the Nuclear Safety Council (CSN).
Vox claims nuclear energy and Sumar accuses of "treason"
The spokesperson for Vox, José María Figaredo, has celebrated that the Executive is approaching the position that his party has defended for "years": that Spain "needs" nuclear energy.
"Teresa Ribera had to retract and had to acknowledge that Spain and Europe cannot survive without nuclear energy when she was appointed European commissioner. Sara Aagesen has taken a long time to come to her senses, but finally, after years of explaining it to her, justifying it to her, and pressuring her, she has faced reality," he stated.
According to Figaredo, if the Government had not implemented the nuclear closure schedule, Spain would have become a "power" in this field in Europe, with greater capacity for electrification and industrialization. Therefore, he insisted that it is "fundamental" to extend the useful life of the operating plants.
It has also highlighted that the country has uranium reserves that "could serve as nuclear fuel." "You only want the degrowth and impoverishment of the Spaniards, nodding your head, and it is a logic that you have been working on for years, but that you do not dare to say explicitly," he reproached the Government.
From Sumar, its spokesperson Alberto Ibáñez has described the "consensus-less" approval of the extension of the Extremadura plant as a "betrayal" of the PSOE to the investiture agreement and to the "ecologist tradition" of the coalition Executive. In his view, there is no technical, scientific, or general interest reason that justifies this decision.
Ibáñez has defended that nuclear energy does not provide sovereignty and has specified that the uranium that fuels Spanish plants comes from "Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Australia, and Namibia." Likewise, he has emphasized that it does not provide security "either present or future." "Do not have any doubt that if nuclear plants were safe, Madrid would be full of them. But the reality is that the closest one to the Congress of Deputies is 100 kilometers away," he has ironized.
In his opinion, the "only" certainty regarding the PSOE's decision on Almaraz is that "it will expand the commercial balances of Iberdrola, Endesa, or Naturgy." Therefore, he has demanded political responsibilities and guarantees that this "bad decision" will not be prolonged over time. The deputy of Compromís has also demanded to ensure the closure of the Valencian plant of Cofrentes before 2030 and the implementation of an industrial reconversion plan for the area.