By Minener Editorial Team | May 2025
Shutting down Spain’s nuclear power plants could drive up electricity prices by 36% and eliminate 30,000 jobs, according to a new report from the Civismo Foundation. Despite this, the government continues down a path that seems more ideological than practical—phasing out nuclear energy by 2032 and betting everything on renewables.
This strategy, championed by former Ecological Transition Minister Teresa Ribera and now carried on by her successor Sara Aagesen, is increasingly hard to justify. The massive blackout that plunged parts of Spain into darkness on April 28 should serve as a wake-up call. As the report reveals, just minutes before the grid collapsed, only 16% of the energy being fed into it came from stable, traditional sources—far below the safe threshold of 25–30% recommended by experts. Four nuclear reactors were offline, and those still operating were underperforming.
The idea that renewables alone can carry Spain’s energy future is seductive, but dangerously naive. Wind and solar are vital tools, but they are intermittent, weather-dependent, and, as we’ve now seen, insufficient to guarantee grid stability. Pretending otherwise puts the entire country at risk.
The Civismo Foundation’s warning echoes the cautionary tale of Germany, where Angela Merkel’s nuclear exit is now widely regarded as a strategic failure. Spain seems poised to repeat that mistake, and the consequences could be worse—especially given the precarious state of its rural economy. Losing 30,000 direct and indirect jobs—many in communities with few alternatives—is not just an economic blow, it’s a social one.
There’s also the fiscal angle: nuclear energy contributes about €1 billion annually in specific taxes. Phasing it out means widening public deficits at a time when Spain can hardly afford it.
The bottom line is clear: decarbonization cannot come at the expense of energy security. If Spain wants a stable, affordable, and clean energy mix, nuclear must remain part of the equation. Otherwise, the country risks trading carbon emissions for blackouts, inflation, and unemployment.