The president of Iberdrola expects the company to request an extension of the operational life for all of Spain's nuclear reactors, following a similar application already submitted for the Almaraz nuclear power plant.

The major blackout in April reignited the debate over nuclear energy in Spain, which is scheduled to shut down all its reactors by 2035, beginning with Almaraz in 2027.

"Nuclear power plants are necessary, safe, efficient, and help reduce prices," President Ignacio Galán told analysts on Wednesday.

"That's why we have already requested the extension for Almaraz and, I imagine, we will request extensions for others in the future," he said during a conference call following the company's 2025 results.

The owners of the Almaraz plant—Iberdrola, Endesa, and Naturgy—have requested to extend the operational life of their Almaraz nuclear facility by about three years.

According to the current plan, the gradual phase-out would begin in 2027 with the closure of the first reactor at the plant, which is located in western Spain. The second reactor is scheduled to close the following year.

(Reporting by Pietro Lombardi, editing by Louise Heavens; Spanish edition by María Bayarri Cárdenas)