Desalination plant to be built and managed by consortium
Regional water company Águas do Algarve has awarded the “conception, construction and exploration” of the Algarve’s planned desalination plant to a consortium for €107.9 million.
The consortium, which includes Luságua – Serviços Ambientais, S.A., Aquapor – Serviços, S.A. and GS Inima Environment, S.A.U., will oversee key aspects of the project, AdA announced in a statement late on Tuesday evening (October 1). These include the design and construction of the desalination plant, including civil, mechanical, electrical, and maritime engineering work; the environmental and safety management plans to ensure the project adheres to strict guidelines during construction and operation; and the operation and maintenance of the desalination facility for three years following its completion to guarantee it meets all performance standards.
The plant, to be built in Albufeira, will initially have the capacity to produce 16 million cubic meters of water annually, with plans to expand this to 24 million cubic meters as needed.
In its statement, AdA says that the “only goal of the project” is to provide an “integrated solution that provides, in a sustained way, the public supply of water in the Algarve (…) even during times of drought.”
The regional water company also says the desalination plant is part of a broader strategy to tackle the Algarve’s water shortage.
“The Algarve region has experienced prolonged drought cycles in recent years, combined with a water scarcity situation now considered structural. This has resulted in a decrease in the volumes of water stored in the various available sources, a situation that is being monitored by the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA), Águas de Portugal (AdP), and Águas do Algarve (AdA),” the company says.
“To mitigate this situation, several studies point to the use of seawater desalination as one of the possible structural measures to strengthen water production capacity. This option is part of a broader set of measures that also addresses a strategic need related to water availability and reserves in the region, as identified in the Algarve Regional Water Efficiency Plan,” it adds
However, the construction of the desalination plant is far from consensual.
Sustainable water platform PAS has been leading the protests against the project, repeatedly stressing that all other alternatives to tackle the region’s drought should be considered before resorting to desalination. The platform has also filed a lawsuit asking for the Declaration of Environmental Impact (DIA) delivered on the construction of a desalination plant in Albufeira to be declared invalid. There has also been the issue of disputes over the land where the desalination plant is due to be built, near Albufeira’s beloved Falésia beach.
michael.bruxo@portugalresident.com
