Spain on Wednesday (27 December) confirmed plans to close the country’s fleet of seven commercial nuclear power plants by 2035, with the first shutdown scheduled for 2027.

The fate of Spain’s nuclear fleet became a key topic during this summer’s electoral campaign, with the conservative opposition People’s Party pledging to reverse the planned phaseout of the nuclear plants, which generate about a fifth of the country’s electricity.

The Spanish Socialist Workers’ party, which supports the phaseout plans, won most seats in the election and a coalition deal between centre-left parties that formed a government has confirmed plans for “the orderly and progressive dismantling” of nuclear reactors.