Madrid (EFE).- The Ministry for Ecological Transition (Miteco) has authorized the start of the dismantling of the Santa María de Garoña nuclear power plant, in Burgos, a project that covers until 2033, with a budget of 475 million euros and in which up to 350 people are expected to work simultaneously.
The ministerial order, published this Monday by the Official State Gazette, for the dismantling also authorizes the transfer of ownership of the Nuclenor facility to Enresa, something that will happen in the coming days so that the works on the ground can begin, they point out. from the Miteco in a statement.
Garoña is “an example of what should not happen again,” said Teresa Ribera, Minister for the Ecological Transition, at the end of an informative breakfast this morning in Madrid by the president of the PSOE, Cristina Narbona, on the dismantling of the said center.
“Today a step forward is taken in this orderly closure process with total “responsibility, with guarantees for the population and with economic alternatives”, after having passed the environmental evaluation of the safe dismantling process and without risk to anyone, has observed the minister.
For Ribera, this dismantling offers a “present and future perspective” for a region that has been claiming a future for its neighbors for a long time, and in this way, the Institute for Just Transition (ITJ) has been collaborating since 2020 with the 27 municipalities affected by the closure of the facility and has already allocated 7.7 million to finance 12 municipal projects.
Garoña, located in the Tobalina Valley (Burgos), had an installed capacity of 466 MW, was inaugurated in 1971 and was disconnected from the electricity grid in December 2012, when Nuclenor informed the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism of its decision to don’t keep exploiting it.
In July 2013, the definitive cessation of exploitation was declared, but this was not due to reasons of nuclear safety or radiological protection, so Nuclenor submitted a request for renewal of the authorization in May 2014; finally, in August 2017, this request was denied by the Ministry of Energy, Tourism and Digital Agenda.
A project in two phases
At that time, Enresa began the preparatory work for the dismantling, which consists of two phases and has a budget – without counting the management of spent fuel – of 475 million. Work is expected to last until 2033 and employ up to 350 people simultaneously.
In Phase 1 (2023-2026) the systems, structures and components of the turbine building will be dismantled, and the modifications to the systems and facilities necessary for the management of the resulting waste will be undertaken. At the same time, spent fuel will be evacuated from the pool to the Individualized Temporary Storage (ATI) of the plant.
Subsequently, in Phase 2 (2027-2033), with the fuel already in the ATI, the final dismantling of the radiological buildings will be addressed, continuing with the decontamination, declassification and demolitions, to finally conclude with the restoration of the site.
The authorization for the dismantling comes after the project was submitted to public information between March and April 2021, after the Plenary of the Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) issued a favorable report last May and after obtaining the declaration of environmental impact with the conditions adjusted to the project.