MADRID (EFE Dow Jones)--A Spanish high court confirmed Thursday
that the nuclear plant Santa Maria de Garona will be shut down as
planned in 2013, rejecting a lawsuit filed by utilities Iberdrola
SA (IBE.MC) and Endesa SA (ELE.MC) asking for a life extension and
a monetary compensation.
The Audiencia Nacional court ruled in favor of the Spanish
government decision to shut down the nuclear plant, arguing that
the government is in charge of energy policy, according to the
ruling published Thursday.
"[The decision] is sufficiently motivated and they're legitimate
reasons of energy policy, so it is not arbitrary," said the
ruling.
Garona, located in Burgos, northern Spain, is the smallest one
in the country, with 460 MW of installed capacity. The plant is
owned 50/50 by Spanish electricity giant Iberdrola and Endesa, a
subsidiary of Italian energy group Enel SpA SA (ENEL.MI).
The ruling is important because it could set a precedent for the
shutdown of other nuclear power plants. In July 2009, the
government issued an order to close Garona in July 2013 against the
opinion of the National Security Council, the nuclear sector
regulator in Spain.
Garona fulfilled its useful life of 40 years in 2011. The
government has said that it wants to promote renewable energies and
that the plant is not essential to ensure the power supply.
Iberdrola and Endesa argued that the plant is in good condition
and meets safety standards, so they asked for a life extension
until 2019.
A spokesman for Nuclenor, the company that manages Garona, said
its lawyers are already studying the ruling to decide to take legal
action. The ruling may be appealed at Spain's Supreme Court.
-By Juan Montes, EFE Dow Jones; +34 91 395 81 36,
juan.montes@dowjones.com