The Cofrentes Nuclear Power Plant has begun construction of its new Total Individualized Temporary Storage Facility (ATI-100), after receiving authorization from the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) and successfully passing reviews by the Nuclear Safety Council (CSN). The construction, already underway, is expected to continue until 2026.

The project, awarded by IBERDROLA GENERACIÓN NUCLEAR, S.A.U., has been entrusted to the joint venture formed by the Valencian companies Grupo Bertolín, S.A.U. and GD Energy Services, S.A.U. (GDES). This is a strategic initiative valued at over 10 million euros and is part of the 7th General Plan for Radioactive Waste, which calls for the construction of Individualized Temporary Storage Facilities (ATI) with sufficient capacity to house spent fuel until the final shutdown of each site.

The new ATI-100 is designed as a complement to the existing ATI-24 and will provide full storage capacity for all spent fuel generated throughout the operational life of the plant. This infrastructure will be located in the northern area of the site, next to ATI-24 and the natural-draft cooling towers.

The design includes:

• A storage area featuring two reinforced concrete seismic slabs on which the spent fuel storage containers will be placed.

• A concrete-paved surface around and between the slabs to allow circulation of transport equipment for container handling and placement maneuvers on the slabs.

• Perimeter retaining walls to shield radiation emitted by the containers and to contain the terrain.

• Outside the storage area, and connected to it, there will be an auxiliary platform for transport maneuvers and container concreting. A new auxiliary building will be constructed here to house the container handling crane and a storage area.

Strategic importance of the project

This new storage facility enhances the operational capacity of the Cofrentes Nuclear Power Plant, the main source of electricity generation in the Valencian Community, which in 2024 achieved a gross output of 8,238 GWh—equivalent to 3.2% of total national production and 45% of regional electricity generation. Its operation prevented the emission of more than 3 million tons of CO₂ into the atmosphere.

We thank Iberdrola Generación Nuclear S.A.U. for the trust placed in this partnership to carry out a key project for the country’s energy and environmental future.

More information about Grupo Bertolín: www.grupobertolin.es

More information about GDES: www.gdes.com