Díaz Ayuso pide ampliar vida útil de Almaraz en Extremadura

Díaz Ayuso held an institutional meeting today in Mérida (Badajoz) with the president of the Extremadura Regional Government, María Guardiola, where both signed an institutional declaration to request this measure. «Now that their vice president -Teresa Ribera- is in the EU and speaks openly about nuclear energy, perhaps it is time for them to take note because she is responsible for executing this disaster of closing nuclear power plants and then leading the opening of them in other countries, as we have recently seen with Belgium,» she added.

The president highlighted that the closure of Almaraz jeopardizes the supply guarantee and economic development in regions such as Madrid, severely affecting the competitiveness of its business fabric, considering that 15% of the energy consumed in the region comes from this Caceres facility.

For Díaz Ayuso, the «outdated and unfounded campaign against nuclear power plants will make us even more hostages to fossil fuels,» especially to the gas sold by Russia, which accounts for 21% of Spain’s purchases.

«We demand an energy policy grounded in reality, without ideology, with scientific rigor, that is up to date, truly cares for the environment, industry, employment, and Spain’s energy autonomy,» emphasized the president, who urged the government not to put energy companies in the line of fire and then use them as a scapegoat.

Green Energy since 2022

The nuclear power, as confirmed by the head of the regional government, was declared green energy by the European Union in 2022, avoiding the emission of around 30 million tons of CO₂ per year, contributing to greenhouse gas reduction goals and energy supply stability.

Díaz Ayuso also referred to recent studies estimating that its end in Spain would lead to a 23% increase in electricity bills for households and small businesses, with unbearable losses for those who create jobs and wealth. An early closure of the power plants would result in a detriment of about 30,000 jobs and a €22.5 billion increase in the electricity bill.

The president also lamented the 70% increase in tax burden on these companies over the past five years «to discourage them» and the lack of investment, which she believes goes «against industry, employment, families, and digitalization.» Ultimately, she concluded, «it is even compromising our national security.»