Spain will shut down an out-of-date nuclear plant on Sunday after years of protests from environmental groups.

Zorita, Spain's oldest nuclear plant some 100 km southeast of the capital of Madrid, will be closed at 11: 30 p.m. local time, 38 years after it went into service for the country.

The closure was originally scheduled for 2008 by the Spanish government due to environmental protests and the plant's aging, but it was advanced for technical reasons.

Operation in Zorita has been on and off during the past years due to technical problems, but no major accidents have been reported.

Environmental groups, like Greenpeace, have been protesting against the operation of nine nuclear reactors in Spain, including Zorita, for years.

Electricity generated by nuclear plants accounts for less than one quarter of the country's overall electricity supply.

Source: Xinhua