Nuclear Energy in Spain - History

History

In early 1947, the Commission is created within the National Research Council in order to rule on issues of "Technical Physics of greatest interest to the country". In the middle of that year, the Naval Attache of the United States Embassy in Spain, won the Laboratory and Workshop on Research Staff of the Navy an extensive collection of American journals specializing in nuclear fission and its civil and military applications. This was the first contact with the outside world, and led to international collaborations.

To that end, establishing the Atomic Research Board in the form of study (Irani 1987). His work during the triennium (1948–1950) focuses on two aspects. On the one hand, begin to train abroad the first Spanish experts on nuclear issues. On the other hand, begins the search for uranium to serve as raw material for the development of the first investigations. Studies conducted by the Board, lead by Decree-Law on October 22, 1951 to the Nuclear Energy Board, which aims to provide new knowledge in the process of energy production.

In 1963, two significant events occur: the enactment of the Nuclear Energy Act and prior authorization from the Central will be the first Spanish (Almonacid de Zorita, Guadalajara) later known as Jose Cabrera. In June 1965 construction began three years after the plant was synchronized and provided power to the grid for the first time. Three years later it opened in 1971, launched the Santa Maria de Garoña (Burgos), with a capacity of 460MW. In 1972, the network was connected to the Spanish-French central Vandellós (Tarragona) with a capacity of 500MW. The fire occurred in 1989 in this last plant, destroyed part of its facilities. After evaluating the technical and economic feasibility of repair made a year after the fire, led to the decision to withdraw this plant.

These three so-called first-generation plants represent a combined capacity of 1220 MW. Following the good results obtained in them, and the growing need for energy, we decided to build seven new groups (four plants) of much greater production capacity, resulting in an additional nuclear power of 6500 MW.

At the beginning of 1981 begin producing electricity the first group of Almaraz (Cáceres) with a capacity of 930 MW. In 1983 starts the reactor Ascó (Tarragona) with a capacity of 930 MW, is operated and the second group with the same power Almaraz.

In 1984 he inaugurated the central Cofrentes (Valencia) with a capacity of 975 MW, a year after the network is connected to the second reactor of 930 MW Ascó group. In December 1987, enters the central testing period Vandellós II, and finally, in 1989 is put into operation the central Trillo I (Guadalajara) to 1066 MW.

As shown, nuclear power plants in Spain are located in the northern half. This is because the area is less seismic impact of the peninsula and where the presence of large rivers Tajo and Ebro meet their needs for water used for cooling.