View source for Lemóniz Nuclear Power Plant

{{Short description|Unfinished nuclear power plant in Basque}}
{{Expand Basque|Lemoizko zentral nuklearra|fa=yes|date=April 2009}}
{{Infobox power station
|name                = Lemóniz Nuclear Power Plant
|image               = Central nuclear de Lemóniz (Vista Suroeste).JPG
|image_caption       = Lemóniz NPP
|country             = Spain
| coordinates = {{coord|43|26|0|N|2|52|21|W|region:ES_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
|ps_units_uc         = 2 x 900 MWe (stopped)
}}
'''Lemóniz Nuclear Power Plant''' is an unfinished [[nuclear power plant]] in [[Lemoiz]], in the [[Basque Country (autonomous community)|Basque]] province of [[Bizkaia]], [[Spain]]. Its construction stopped in 1983 when the Spanish nuclear power expansion program was cancelled following a change of government. Its two [[Pressurized water reactor|PWRs]], each of 900 MWe, were almost complete but were never operated.

Conflict concerning the Lemóniz Nuclear Power Plant was one of the major [[Anti-nuclear movement in Spain|anti-nuclear]] issues in the 1970s and 1980s in Spain.<ref>Lutz Mez, [[Mycle Schneider]] and [[Stephen Thomas (economist)|Steve Thomas]] (Eds.) (2009). ''International Perspectives of Energy Policy and the Role of Nuclear Power'', Multi-Science Publishing Co. Ltd, p. 371.</ref> It faced major opposition from the Basque anti-nuclear movement and the Basque armed separatist organization [[ETA (separatist group)|ETA]].

==ETA response==
The building of the power station was opposed by [[ETA (separatist group)|ETA]], a [[Basque nationalism|Basque separatist]] organisation proscribed as a terrorist group by the Spanish government.<ref>[http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/ntnl-scrt/cntr-trrrsm/lstd-ntts/crrnt-lstd-ntts-eng.aspx Listed terrorist entities]</ref><ref>[https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2012/06/193579.htm Terrorist designation of ETA, Dept. of State]</ref> The first attack on the site took place on 18 December 1977, when an ETA commando unit attacked a [[Guardia Civil]] post guarding the station. One of the cell members, David Álvarez Peña, was injured in the attack and died a month later. On 17 March 1978, ETA planted a bomb in the reactor of the station, causing the death of two workers (Andrés Guerra and Alberto Negro), and wounded another two. The explosion also caused substantial material damage to the facility, which set back construction. 
[[Image:Gladys del Estal.jpg|thumb|right|[[Gladys del Estal]], anti-nuclear activist killed during the construction of the station.]]
[[Image:Costa Vasca no-nuclear.jpg|thumb|Logo created by the sculptor [[Chillida]] against the Lemóniz Nuclear Power Plant.]]

On 3 June 1979, the anti-nuclear activist [[Gladys del Estal]] from [[Donostia]] died after being hit by a bullet from the police force Guardia Civil during a demonstration in [[Tudela, Navarre|Tudela]] ([[Navarra]]) on the international day of action against nuclear power. Ten days later, on 13 June, ETA managed to get another bomb into the works on the facility, this time in the turbine area. The explosion caused the death of another worker, Ángel Baños. Meanwhile, numerous demonstrations, activities and festivals attended by thousands were being held across the [[southern Basque Country]] by ecologists and left leaning groups to demand the closure of the station.

The escalation of ETA's actions came to a head on 29 January 1981, when they kidnapped the chief engineer of the power station, [[José María Ryan]], from Bilbao. Although a large demonstration was held in Bilbao for the release of the engineer, ETA killed Ryan after a week passed, causing an outcry and the first anti-ETA strike. However, by February 1982, a combination of factors brought construction to a halt. Stumbling blocks included popular doubts over the plant's safety and the interests behind it, ETA's violent action, and differing approaches of the Spanish and Basque autonomous government.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/02/18/world/spain-gets-warning-on-basque-nuclear-plant.html|title=SPAIN GETS WARNING ON BASQUE NUCLEAR PLANT|last=Times|first=James M. Markham and Special To the New York|work=The New York Times |date=18 February 1982 |access-date=2018-10-27|language=en}}</ref>

In May 1982 ETA assassinated Ángel Pascual, who had taken over the responsibilities from Ryan as chief project engineer.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://elpais.com/diario/1982/05/06/espana/389484004_850215.html|title=Angel Pascual Mújica fue ametrallado por dos jóvenes en presencia de la escolta y de su hijo, de 18 años|last=Unzueta|first=Patxo|date=1982-05-06|work=El País|access-date=2017-04-11|language=Spanish|trans-title=Angel Pascual Mújica was assassinated by two youths in the presence of his escort and his son, aged 18}}</ref> Following the Spanish general election of a [[PSOE]] government, in 1984 a moratorium on new nuclear power plants was put in place for the whole country, affecting Lemóniz as well, which at that point was virtually ready to run.<ref>[http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Country-Profiles/Countries-O-S/Spain/ Nuclear Power in Spain, World Nuclear Association]</ref> The moratorium put an official end to the project.

==See also==
*[[Nuclear power in Spain]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons|Central nuclear de Lemóniz}}
* [http://www10.antenna.nl/wise/index.html?http://www10.antenna.nl/wise/archive.html WISE News Communique archive] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110926212109/http://www10.antenna.nl/wise/index.html?http://www10.antenna.nl/wise/archive.html |date=2011-09-26 }} July 21, 1995 ''Spanish banks to assume nuclear debt''.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100528031859/http://www.insc.anl.gov/cgi-bin/sql_interface?view=spec_country_status&qvar=id&qval=22 Nuclear News Country Review: SPAIN (1994)] at the [[International Nuclear Safety Center|INSC]] website.

{{SpainPlants}}

[[Category:Unfinished nuclear reactors]]
[[Category:Cancelled nuclear power stations|Spain]]
[[Category:Nuclear power stations using pressurized water reactors]]
[[Category:ETA (separatist group) actions]]
[[Category:1978 disasters in Spain]]
[[Category:Terrorist incidents in Europe in 1978]]
[[Category:Terrorist incidents in Spain in the 1970s]]
[[Category:1978 crimes in Spain]]