Country Spain Operator(s) CNAT Province Province of Cáceres | Commission date September 1, 1983 Nameplate capacity 2,093 MW Construction began 1973 | |
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Units operational 1 × 1,049 MW
1 × 1,044 MW Address Central Nuclear, 10396 Almaraz, Cáceres, Spain Owners Iberdrola, Endesa, Unión Fenosa Similar Trillo Nuclear Power Pl, Vandellòs Nuclear Power Pl, José Cabrera Nuclear P, Cofrentes Nuclear Power Pl, Lemoniz Nuclear Power Pl | ||
Almaraz Nuclear Power Plant is a nuclear power station at Almaraz in Spain, which it uses the Tagus River for cooling which runs into Portugal.
Contents
It consists of two PWRs of 1049 and 1044 MWe.
The Arrocampo reservoir as system to refrigerate the Nuclear Plant
The refrigeration of the Almaraz nuclear power plant was the first reason for the construction of the Arrocampo Reservoir in 1976.
The water is taken from the Tagus River and covers a U-shaped circuit of 25 km which allows the cooling of the heat generated by the two nuclear reactors of the plant. (See the illustration of the water circulation in Arrocampo)
The walls of thermic separation (pantallas de separación térmica in Spanish) (PST) are 11 km long and 8 m high.
The tops of these walls are used by great cormorants and great egret as standing, resting and sleeping areas.
History
The first reactor began operating in 1981 and the second in 1983. It occupies an area of 1683 hectares .
As of 2017 Spain had approved a nuclear waste warehouse at Almaraz without carrying out any consultations or impact studies. Portugal has taken the matter to the EU, protests planned on January 12 at Spanish consulates were organised by Movimiento Ibérico Antinuclear, which coincided with a meeting between Portuguese and Spanish delegates in Madrid, which ended in deadlock and Portugal to complain to the EU that Spain ignored the potential cross-border impact with no studies being carried out, which is against European Union rules.
Spanish secretary of State for the EU Jorge Toledo Albiñana has said work will start regardless of Portugals complaints, and uranium bars that will remain radioactive for the next 300 years will be stored on site.