The debate on nuclear energy in Spain is not technical, but economic. Those who pushed for its early shutdown did so with a clear objective: to free up space in the electricity market for new investments in renewables and gas. The ecological transition became an excuse to open other businesses, leaving the grid without stable and constant backup for years.
The technical void left by baseload power ⚡
Nuclear power plants provide firm and manageable power, something that solar and wind cannot guarantee without massive storage. By shutting down the reactors, a source of constant electricity that operated 24 hours a day is eliminated. To cover its absence, combined cycle gas plants or large-scale batteries are needed. Both solutions increase dependence on fossil fuels or require critical minerals whose extraction has a significant environmental impact. The shutdown was not a mistake, it was a business decision.
The sweet deal of turning off stable power 💰
It is curious that those who called for shutting down nuclear plants for environmental reasons now celebrate million-dollar contracts to build gas plants. It is like selling your diesel car because it pollutes and then buying a van that uses twice as much fuel, but justifying it because the paint is green. In the end, the environment pays the bill while some fill their pockets with the new energy trend. The rush to shut down was not ecological, it was commercial.