Updated September 22, 2021

Spain

  • The country's nuclear moratorium enacted in 1983 halted the creation of enough nuclear power to replace all of the coal it now burns for electricity.

  • Today the Spanish government remains anti-nuclear. It is using record high energy prices to double down on attacking nuclear and promoting renewables, even though the prices are due to investment in weather dependent energies. The government is limiting the amount nuclear plants can be paid for generation while pouring money into solar and wind.

  • The loss of the Santa Maria de Garoña nuclear plant was a significant step backwards for Spain’s climate goals - the fossil fuels used to replace the plant’s power will increase emissions the carbon equivalent of almost a million new cars on the road in Spain. 

  • The need to pay for tens of billions of dollars for renewable energy caused electricity prices to rise from below average before 2009 to among the highest in Europe.

  • Climate scientists including James Hansen, along with other concerned scientists, conservationists, and environmentalists have urged Spanish policymakers and other leaders to protect the country's nuclear plants.