Contract for construction of new Axarquía desalination plant still not yet awarded

The construction of a desalination plant has become the great hope for the drought-stricken Axarquía. However, it is unlikely to be ready for at least five years, which means that the area could be looking at medium to long-terms consequences without resources, if it does not rain significantly in the coming months.

Since last year, the Junta de Andalucía has been looking to award a contract to build a plant with a maximum capacity of 37.5 cubic hectometres. However, despite president Juanma Moreno's promise that it would be awarded before the end of June this year and the fact that there are three companies interested in the project, it still hasn’t been awarded.

Questioned about whether the Axarquía desalination plant project continues to move forward or has been shelved during a recent visit to Nerja, the Junta's delegate in Malaga, Patricia Navarro, did not comment, following the announcement by the central government to provide one hundred million euros to build a plant.

"Nothing is being ruled out, we are studying which model will be implemented, which one will guarantee supply and irrigation," said Navarro and added that a new company has come forward. “We have to consider it and this has slowed down the deadline we initially gave ourselves," she said.

The Junta de Andalucía and the central government have now created a working group to develop the Axarquía desalination plant. In the lead up to the local elections in May, the Andalusian president, Juanma Moreno, at an election rally in Torre del Mar, committed to two desalination plants in the Axarquía; one private and the other public. Moreno promised that the private one would be awarded before the end of June and said that there were three companies interested: Aciona, Magtel and the alliance formed by Trops, Grupo Cobra and the University of Malaga.

Sources from the regional government have explained that they are trying to "speed up” the process “as much as possible" but could not give more details.

A meeting between the two administrations discussed possible advances "to be able to combine the technical work already carried out by the Andalusian regional government for the private desalination plant with the financing that, at the request of the Junta de Andalucía, has been established by the latest drought decree, as this would have advantages for the agricultural sector, in the future, as the water would be subsidised," the regional government argued.

The Junta went on to say that "the logical thing is to establish a protocol between both parties to make a project a reality in view of the existing water deficit".

For the Andalusian government "it is important to take advantage of the technical knowledge that the private initiative has already advanced, on the viability and suitability of the desalination plant, as well as the existing alternatives in terms of treatment, capacity and the application of new technologies in order to combine the best option for the region”.