But there are conditions – and nothing can move forwards for time being
Today, April 3, 2024, Portuguese environment agency APA issued the Environmental Impact Statement for the “Algarve Seawater Desalination Plant” project, which is favourable, it says, subject to compliance with a number of conditions.
Presented using the logo brought in by the old government, and scrapped earlier this morning by the new one, APA’s preamble printed on its site refers to the environmental impact assessment procedure having been “carried out in accordance with legal requirements, including the promotion of a public consultation period of 30 working days – report available here.
“The aforementioned decision was based on the assessment carried out by the Assessment Committee set up for the purpose, coordinated by APA and comprising representatives from APA itself, the Algarve Regional Coordination and Development Commission, Cultural Heritage, the Algarve Regional Health Administration, the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests, the National Energy and Geology Laboratory, the Directorate-General for Natural Resources, Safety and Maritime Services, the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto and the Prof. Baeta Neves Centre for Applied Ecology of the Higher Institute of Agronomy, whose opinion can be consulted here.
“The assessment has taken into account the concerns expressed during the public consultation, which coincide with the main issues addressed and considered in the assessment and are generally reflected in the set of conditions established.
“In this context, the following should be emphasised:
“The project is part of the Algarve Regional Water Efficiency Plan, one of the investments under Component C09 – Water Management of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR);
“With regard to concerns about the impacts of the rejection of brine on marine ecosystems, the assessment took into account the results of the study of the spatial influence of the dispersion of saline effluent in the sea presented, and although the impacts are not considered to be significant, a set of requirements was incorporated into the decision aimed at safeguarding these possible impacts, as well as the development of any additional minimisation measures.
“Given that the environmental impact assessment procedure took place at the preliminary study stage, a second assessment will take place at the execution project stage, with a view to verifying the environmental compliance of the execution project with the EIS that has now been issued.
“It should be noted that the desalination plant can only be licensed and construction can only begin once the decision on the environmental compliance of the execution project has been issued” – something pressure groups (PAS, the platform for sustainable water being the most relevant at this point) will be at pains to make sure does not happen.
As the Resident has outlined earlier this year, this is the latest ‘environmental fight’ for the Algarve: citizens concerned about the health of the sea/ the heavy carbon footprint of a desalination plant (that cannot provide water for the whole region) – and the fact that it involves millions of euros of public money without improving the management of water in the region in any way at all – believe other options should be implemented before decision-makers go down the desalination route.
