That’s how it all began.
The first particles. The first atoms. The stars. Nebulae. The galaxies. Space.
Time itself. Ourselves.
We are formed from atoms whose nuclei are held together by nuclear forces.
Those same forces that feed the stars and make them shine.
Everything around us. Its immense beauty.
We can’t make stars yet, but we have learnt how they work. And how the universe works. And the atom. And also its nuclei.
And, since the opening of the first nuclear power plants in the 1950s,
we have learnt how to produce electricity on a large scale, safely and competitively.
Nuclear power plants work in the same way as thermal power plants; the only difference is that they do not burn
fossil fuels, but heat the water by means of a process of atomic fission inside a reactor. Once the steam has been
obtained, this heat energy is converted into mechanical energy with a turbine, and then into electrical energy with
a generator. Once its job has been done, the steam is cooled in a condenser tank and then returned to the system.
The thick white column we see wafting from a nuclear plant’s cooling tower is no more than the water vapour from that heat exchange.
Clean, damp air, with no toxic emissions.
The most sensitive part of a nuclear power plant, the fuel, is protected by three barriers: the capsule that
houses the fuel itself, the reactor’s closed cooling circuit, and the containment building, a structure made of
several layers of steel and concrete. The entire electricity production process is subject to strict,
independent monitoring and supervision by the Nuclear Safety Council. A system that features all types of
legislative and regulatory guarantees, both domestic and international, such as the implementation of the Safety Reinforcement Project.
The objective is to guarantee its operation in total safety when faced by the most extreme natural occurrences.
Endesa is the leading nuclear operator in Spain.
Since the plants commenced operation, substantial investment efforts have been made to improve and to
guarantee the safety of all the power plants, carrying out technological updates each year to ensure their optimal
operation and modernisation. In the coming years, an investment of 500 million euros will be made to continue
with the process of improvement in order to continue to enjoy this technology in the future.
In accordance with the agreements reached at the last Paris Climate Summit, ENDESA has committed itself to
total decarbonisation and a 100% emission-free electricity generation model for the year 2050.
In a world whose electricity requirements are ever greater, nuclear power stations represent an
environmentally-friendly source of energy and are, together with renewable sources, the only source with zero greenhouse gas emissions.
In fact, nuclear power is nowadays the only energy source capable of supplying continuously large
quantities of power without contributing to climate change, as it emits neither carbon, sulphur or nitrogen
oxides, nor ash, into the atmosphere. In this way, it enables a yearly saving of 8% of CO2 emissions
worldwide (2,500 million tons of CO2) and between 35 and 45 million tons of carbon dioxide in Spain.
This is equivalent to the emissions from half of the country’s vehicle fleet.
We’re thinking about now. And about the future.
A real, safe, clean future.
And that’s why in 2011 ENDESA implemented the Official Master’s Degree in Nuclear Engineering, in cooperation
with the Polytechnic University of Catalonia. A programme which is part of the European Master in
Nuclear Energy, sponsored by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology. It also enjoys the
collaboration of the principal companies of the Spanish nuclear sector. It is a question of managing and
enhancing the knowledge that the nuclear experience has generated in our country, and enabling technological
breakthroughs with the incorporation of new professionals. In this way, generational handover
is guaranteed in a sector that generates highly-qualified, stable employment.
Because nuclear power is key for the energy generation of the future.
Nuclear power plants generated 22% of the entire Spanish energy production in 2016.
One light bulb in five is lit with power from nuclear sources.
More than with any other type of technology.
If we want to guarantee a sustainable production that is competitive and capable of satisfying a growing
demand, giving certainty to the supply, nuclear power is the best way.
Stars… That’s how it all began
