Junts decided this Thursday in Congress to abstain and to overturn the PP’s proposal to extend the timetable for the closure of nuclear plants. His decision sparked joy in the socialist ranks, who understood that the deputies of Carles Puigdemont’s party were breaking their plan to always vote against the government. The leader of Junts in Congress, Míriam Nogueras, attributed the abstention to the fact that the popular proposal was not technically well done. The party is now finalizing its position for the three Catalan plants, saying it wants to move away from Manichean positions between nuclear and renewables and warning that the development of green energy is far behind in Catalonia. The mayor of Vandellòs, Assumpció Castellví, of Junts, in favor of the extension, confirms that the debate is still open and that her party’s vote in the Congress is not the definitive one.
Catalonia has three nuclear power plants which, according to the government plan, have this closure timetable: Ascó I in 2030; Ascó II, in 2032 (the ownership did not request the extension) and in 2035 in Vandellòs. Therefore, Junts warn, there is not the same rush as in Almaraz, whose closure is scheduled for 2027. The idea is spreading among Junts managers that nuclear energy continues to be a valid and effective energy source today, but there are doubts about the effects that an open request for the operational extension of the three plants would entail. MP Pilar Calvo, responsible for this area in the Junts group, says that work is being done to present a “black and white” proposal for the three factories and warns that the government’s closure plan is currently not achievable.
Calvo lets slip that the April blackout led to a change of scenario and put the guarantee of supply at risk. “In Catalonia our dependence on nuclear energy is 60%, while in the rest of the state it is 20%,” he underlines. The deputy claims that the timetable set by the Government for Catalonia is unrealistic and accuses it president Salvador Illa to follow the government and not act. “We want to make a green transition, we are not against it, but without putting the industry, users and consumers at risk,” he says.
The debate is thorny because openly betting on nuclear power puts at risk the public image of a party that for years has been maneuvering to remove the right-wing conservative labels that the old CiU bore so unrepentantly. But the reality is that the demonization of reactors has marked the energy narrative in Catalonia for years, but the foundations for seeking an alternative supply have never been laid. At the moment, Junts is requesting a mountain of reports: two from the Government on completing the just transition plan and another on nuclear life extension; ask PP and Vox what price of electricity they are willing to pay to extend that life and ask the operator for a report on the security of the offer and ask UNESA for a delay in the publication of the report on the economic-financial situation of the electricity business.
While waiting for the definitive position to be taken, one of the hypotheses is that Junts is leaning towards an extension limited in time and not definitive, as the PP hopes. Both Calvo and MP Josep Maria Cruset have warned that they will not negotiate with the government. “We said we would vote against their initiatives, but this is not a carte blanche for the PP,” he told 3CAT, perplexed that the PSOE accepted it as a victory when it was just an amendment with no legal significance. Assumpció Castellví, mayor of Vandellòs, of Junts, did not share this abstention and is in favor of extending the life of the plant. “What was voted is not definitive. There is a debate and this is good for the party. The position is developing, but nuclear energy is absolutely necessary to maintain the stability of the grid”, he underlines, specifying that this position does not mean being against renewable energy. and this encourages them.
The mayor has the impression that the government’s plan is “outdated” and believes that these types of decisions should be made on technical and not ideological criteria. With a population of 7,200, the majority, says the mayor, are in favor of the plant for the jobs it generates (1,800 jobs), for the stability of the grid and the security that surrounds it despite the 1989 accident. “People receive it much more for it than against it,” he says. Castellví argues that Illa is slow in implementing renewable energy, but adds that society in general should facilitate its installation, even if it is the first to not grant permits if the territory needs to be “sculpted more”.
Junts has a strong implementation at the municipal level, an area where the spread of renewable energy has the ability to raise bubbles. Whether it is wind farms or photovoltaic systems, the landscape and visual impact is notable and generates strong social rejection. A recent example occurred in Tarragona, where a wind farm project, with six wind turbines to generate 30 megawatts of power, sparked opposition from the municipalities of Riudecanyes, Montbrió del Camp, Vinyols i els Arcs and Riudoms. They are all municipalities close to the Vandellòs nuclear power plant.
