The Government proposes to raise the 'Enresa rate' to electricity companies by 40% for the management of nuclear waste

The nuclear sector has already spoken out against accepting an "extra cost" for discarding the ATC in Villar de Cañas

   MADRID, 12 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Government wants to raise to 11.14 euros/MWh the so-called 'Enresa rate' with which the owners of nuclear power plants pay for the management of radioactive waste carried out by the public company. This amount is 40% more than that currently set, which stands at 7.98 euros/MWh. The entry into force of these new rates would be from July 1, 2024.

This is stated in the draft Royal Decree that modifies the fixed unit rate relating to the non-tax public property provision through which the service of the national radioactive waste company (Enresa) to the nuclear power plants in operation is financed. .

The Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Rest of the Demographics (MITECO) has put the text out for public consultation, consulted by Europa Press, from this Saturday, January 13 until next February 2.

The draft Royal Decree recalls that on December 27, the Council of Ministers approved, at the proposal of MITECO, the 7th General Plan for Radioactive Waste (PGRR). Thus, the Executive argues that during the processing of the 7th PGRR, "the difficulties" were revealed to achieve the necessary degree of social, political and institutional consensus to build the Centralized Temporary Warehouse (ATC) provided for in the 6th PGRR and that was going to be located in the Cuenca town of Villar de Cañas.

For this reason, the 7th PGRR discards this option and opts for the construction of seven Decentralized Temporary Warehouses (ATD) in each of the atomic facilities and the subsequent construction of a Deep Geological Warehouse (AGP), which increases the cost of financing waste management. In total, the plan foresees future costs of 20,220 million euros to be borne, in accordance with the 'polluter pays' principle, with the fund for financing the PGRR, which is endowed with financial contributions from the holders of nuclear facilities.

In addition, the Executive adds that the financing calculations have also varied due to real inflation from the years 2021 to 2023, "clearly higher" than those calculated in 2019.

Taking into account both circumstances, as indicated in the draft Royal Decree, Enresa has sent to the Secretary of State for Energy an updated economic-financial report of the cost of the activities.

contemplated in the PGRR.

The Nuclear Forum already announced last Monday that the solutions contemplated in the 7th PGRR will entail an "extra cost" of more than 2,000 million euros due to "the lack of consensus between the different institutions involved" that "in no case should be attributed" to nuclear power plants.

In the opinion of the sector, the "extra cost" of this Plan represents a "substantial change compared to the conditions under which the agreement of the Protocol of Intentions was reached in 2019 - later included in the National Energy and Climate Plan 2021-2030 (PNIEC) - between the National Radioactive Waste Company (Enresa) and the nuclear power plants for their operation and by which it was agreed to increase the Enresa Rate by a maximum of 20%". "It should be remembered that, after this increase, the entire Spanish nuclear park contributes each year to the Enresa Fund in the order of 450 million euros," they warned.

However, MITECO sources have assured Europa Press that the 40% increase in the 'Enresa rate' does not breach the protocol signed with the companies because, as they say, the 20% limitation that it includes refers to the first draft of the 7th PGRR that went to public hearing in March 2020, on the value of the 'rate' at the time of signing the protocol, a year earlier, in March 2019. This maximum increase in the 'rate' of 20% was reflected in the 2019 Royal Decree that increased its amount from 6.69 euros/MWh to 7.98 euros/MWh, which implies an increase of 19.3%, they add.