Spanish Secretary of State for European Affairs says that the procedure for authorising the construction of a nuclear waste dump “has not yet been initiated” but that anyway, the project will start in the next few days.
Portugal’s government has lodged a complaint to Brussels and wants the project to expand capacity at the Almaraz nuclear power station halted as any spill or incident could affect those living down river alongside the Tejo.
While Portugal waits for its ‘balanced solution,’ the government claims to have made "every effort" to resolve this cross-border dispute and asks that an environmental study is commissioned in a bid to halt the expansion of the ageing power station.
Last week, at a meeting in Madrid between the Portuguese Environment Minister, João Matos Fernandes, and the Energy Ministers of Spain and the Environment, the Spanish Government suggested that Portugal should carry out this study, a proposal that the Portuguese executive refused, stating that it is up to Spain to carry out this assessment.
The Spanish decision to press on regardless has given rise to protests from both Portuguese and Spanish environmental groups, and political parties in Lisbon.
Environmentalists say the construction of a spent fuel rod dump indicates that Spain wants to prolong the life of the decrepit plant which already has been criticised for its lack of safety and should be closing down in 2020.
