Nuclear regulatory authority
The Nuclear Safety Council (Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear, CSN) is the authority responsible for nuclear safety and radiological protection in Spain. It is an independent regulatory body which reports on its activities to the Parliament.
The Ministry for the Ecological Transition (Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica) is the governmental department in charge of defining and implementing the energy policy.
Nuclear activities
The nuclear fleet is made up of five nuclear facilities with seven reactors. Fuel cycle, waste disposal facilities and research centres include the Juzbado fuel assembly manufacturing facility, the El Cabril waste disposal centre and the Energy-related, Environmental and Technological Research Centre (Ciemat). As for the use of radioactive isotopes and radiation generators for scientific, medical, agricultural, commercial and industrial purposes, there are over 32 000 radioactive facilities, all subject to a prior authorization, inspection and control system. Regulation also deals with transportation of nuclear material.
Radioactive waste and spent fuel management
The Ministry for the Ecological Transition establishes the management policy to be implemented in relation to radioactive waste. The public company ENRESA is in charge of managing spent fuel and low, medium and high activity radioactive waste. Finally, the Nuclear Safety Council carries out the studies, evaluations, and inspections of the plans, programmes, and projects necessary in all the phases of radioactive waste management. It is also in charge of the safety of transport of radioactive waste.
Main legal instruments
Act No. 15/1980 of 22 April, modified by Act No. 33/2007 of 7 November, creating the Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear; Act No. 27/2006 of 18 July, regulating rights to access to information, public participation and access to justice in environmental matters (incorporates Directives 2003/4/CE and 2003/35/CE); and Royal Decree 1836/1999 of 3 December, approving the Regulation on Nuclear and Radioactive Facilities, modified by Royal Decree 35/2008 of 18 January, modifying the Regulation on Nuclear and Radioactive Facilities, approved by Royal Decree 1836/1999 of 3 December.
Link to plant operation data in Spain.
Last updated in February 2021
