Cooling Water: A Source of Conflict in Spain, 1970–1980

Diego Sesma-Martín

doi:10.3390/su12114650

Abstract

Water resources are limited and uneven in space and time. Competition for the use of the resource can lead to conflicts between water users. Besides its use for irrigation and agriculture, water is an essential input in the thermoelectric power generation process. Massive Spanish nuclear program projects have conditioned water management in the country, as significant freshwater volumes need to be constantly available for the proper operation of these facilities. Water for cooling has conflicted with other water-using activities, resulting in regional imbalances. The present study shows that cooling water represented a source of conflict between irrigators and electricity companies in Spain in the 1970s and 1980s. A historical analysis of documentary sources reveals that the drawing off of fresh water for cooling by the nuclear industry was one of the many causes of frequent disputes and the rise of social movements against the installation of nuclear power plants in Spain during that period.

Highlights

Its exploitation as a productive asset to serve economies has prevailed over other roles for decades, resulting in different water footprints—that is, the effect of the impact of human activity on water resources, as volumes allocated to one purpose are no longer available in the same location and period of time for other purposes [2,3]
Through a historical analysis of primary sources and press materials, this study aims to provide evidence of the environmental opposition and social movements that arose to argue against the installation of nuclear power plants in Spain in the 1970s and 1980s, and show that the removal of water for cooling by the energy industry was a critical factor in the arguments propounded by the protesters
The map of the Spanish nuclear program shows that the Trillo and Zorita nuclear power plants were to be installed in the upper reaches of the Tagus River in the Guadalajara province

Summary

Introduction

Thermoelectric power plants located in areas lacking ample water supplies are vulnerable to operational disruptions, and even closures. These facilities can jeopardize water availability for other essential activities. The volumes of fresh water drawn in Spain for cooling purposes were unknown [32,33]. Through a historical analysis of primary sources and press materials, this study aims to provide evidence of the environmental opposition and social movements that arose to argue against the installation of nuclear power plants in Spain in the 1970s and 1980s, and show that the removal of water for cooling by the energy industry was a critical factor in the arguments propounded by the protesters.

Water: A Key Resource for Thermoelectric Power Production

The Cooling Water Argument Within Protests

Communities Against Nuclear Power Plants

Findings

Discussion

Conclusions