The Ascó and Vandellós nuclear power plants could operate beyond 2060

2024-09-22 00:04:12

Them Vandellós II nuclear power plantoperational since 1988, is planned to be closed by 2035with the clear desire of the Ascó-Vandellós II Nuclear Association (ANAV) to continue working once this day has arrived and beyond 47 years of life. With a PWR reactor of 1,087 megawatts of power, owned 72% by Endesa and 28% by Iberdrola, one in Vandellós (Tarragona) is the youngest reactor with the one in Trillo (Guadalajara).

The post-destruction period designed by the government also has them closing the Ascó I reactors in 2030 and Ascó II in 2033. If completed, the two PWR reactors, of 1,032 MW and 1,027 MW, will have operated for 45 and 47 years, respectively. These three reactors, all in the area of ​​Tarragona, provide Catalonia with 65% of the electricity it consumes.

When these pressure washers were designed, a useful life of 40 years was set. However, it is true that this system, which dominates the nuclear sector, has more years of life. Up to seven.

In fact, of the 442 reactors currently operating in the world, 299 are of pressurized water technology – belonging to the so-called Generation II -, both of American, German, French and Swedish design (PWR) and of the Russian design – formerly Soviet- (VVER), which represents more than 67% of the total, explains the Nuclear Forum. And of the 53 reactors under construction today, more than 80% (43 units) are of pressurized water type, with advanced and passive systems, belonging to the so-called Generation III and III+.

An extension of your life

Evidence that Ascó plants can double the useful life of the Government has given them that Two “twin” units – according to company sources – have received permission in the United States to extend their work until the 80s. These are the North Anna I and II reactors, with 944 MW of pressurized water. Located in Louisa County, next to Lake Anna, in the state of Virginia, the nuclear plant began operating ten years before the Spanish reactors. Specifically, between 1978 and 1980.

The planned 40-year useful life for both was extended another 20 years in 2003. With the new extension, the North Anna plant will be able to operate one of its reactors until 2058 and the other until year 2060, and this despite dizzying. the expansion of renewable energies in the United States and the fact that it has large gas production.

In the case of Virginia, the penetration of renewables is 11% (6% photovoltaic) with 55% of generation coming from natural gas and 30% from nuclear, as shown by the Virginia Department of Environmental Health according to data adopted in 2022 by the United States Department of Energy.

In fact, this decision to maintain the useful life of the two “twin” nuclear reactors of those in Vandellós and Ascó of up to 80 years has been made to operate as support in the state’s meteoric renewal transitionwhich aims to have 5,500 MW of wind and solar in 2028, that 30% of energy comes from renewable sources in 2030 and that in 2050 100% of generation comes from sources that do not emit CO2: wind, solar and destruction, the “mix” on which more and more people are betting.

The orders come after a positive evaluation, both from the point of view of environmental impact and of safety, carried out from 2022 until now by United States Nuclear Security Council.

With the restoration of North Anna, they already are 8 units were authorized in the United States to operate until the 80s by the Nuclear Safety Commission, which studied the renewal of licenses for 7 other reactors.

To achieve this modernization, Dominion – the owner of the plant – has made several improvements, including the modernization of the main generators and condensers, the modernization of the cooling pumps, and the transformation of the equipment and the manual and digital control. Dominion is also developing 80 improvements to the plant’s processes, such as additional inspections and equipment testing, according to the “Global Disaster Report.”

In addition to extending the life of these two reactors, Dominion has solicited proposals from small reactor (SMR) manufacturers to install one at the North Anna plant.