The Spanish government has approved a request for the two-unit Almaraz nuclear power station in the southwest of the country to operate until 2030 in the light of ongoing energy volatility caused by conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.

In July, Spain’s nuclear regulator the Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) said the plants met all proper functioning, maintenance and waste management standards and recommended that the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge granted an extension.

In a statement, the ministry said: “The limited extension is adopted taking into account the current energy situation, marked by uncertainty in international energy markets stemming from the armed conflict in the Middle East and the ongoing war in Ukraine.”