Spain could end up paying between €360 million and €375 million in penalties to France because of repeated delays in bringing home radioactive waste from the Vandellós I nuclear power plant in Tarragona.
The background
In 1989, a serious fire at Vandellós I caused the most significant nuclear incident in Spain’s history, and the plant was closed. Its spent fuel was sent to France for reprocessing, because Spain did not have the facilities to handle it, on the understanding that the resulting waste would be returned.
A deadline that keeps moving
The return was initially planned for 2010, then 2015, then mid-2017. Each date passed without the waste coming back.
The main reason is the lack of a place to put it. Spain originally planned a single centralised temporary store for all its high-level waste at Villar de Cañas in Cuenca, but the project stalled and was eventually abandoned. The current plan is to build temporary stores at each nuclear plant site instead.
The Vandellós store
The store intended for the Vandellós waste was due to start construction this year and be ready by the end of 2027. However, the state radioactive waste company Enresa now says the construction tender will not be published until the second half of 2027, around a year later than planned. As a result, the facility is not expected to be operational until late 2029 or early 2030.
The cost
Since 2017, Spain has been paying a daily charge to the French nuclear company Orano for storing the waste. It began at about €73,000 a day and has risen to around €85,200. More than €266 million has already been paid.
The payments are treated as a deposit, and are due to be refunded once the waste returns to Spain.
The long term
When the waste comes back, it will be stored near the old Vandellós I reactor until a deep geological repository for all of Spain’s high-level waste is available, which is not expected until around 2073. The reactor itself remains sealed, and its full dismantling is not expected to start until around 2030.
The agreement with France requires the waste to be returned before 31 December 2031. Enresa expects the first shipments between late 2029 and early 2030 — leaving little room for further delays.
