Spain shut down its oldest nuclear power station late night on Sunday after its service of 38 years in the north of the country.

The Jose Cabrera nuclear power station ceased operations at 11:30 p.m. local time (2130 GMT), becoming the first Spanish power plant to be decommissioned, local media reported.

A team of technicians disconnected the electrical systems of the Jose Cabrera plant, Spain's least powerful nuclear station located close to Almonacid de Zorita in Spain's northern region of Guadalajara.

The complete process, however, will end in 2015 with a total cost of 170 million U.S. dollars.

The process, which came in line with a 2001 decision, are divided into two stages.

At the first stage, the turbine is set to be disconnected from the electrical grid by the station's normal staff; at the second stage, the nuclear reactor will be cooled in a span of several days.

The shutdown was taking place amid fierce debate in Spain. Some Spaniards argued in favor of construction of more nuclear power stations on grounds of rising demand for electricity and soaring petrol prices, while others feared that nuclear disasters could occur due to security failures.

The shutdown coincided with the 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, a Ukraine nuclear accident that continues to affect the lives of thousands of people there.

Ecological group Greenpeace said that the closure of the Jose Cabrera plant was a victory for public health and for environmental protection.

Source: Xinhua