Water
Vélez-Málaga calls on central government to set deadlines for Axarquía desalination plant
The plant will cover an area of 32,597 square metres to the north of the A7 motorway as it passes through the eastern Costa del Sol town and the estimated cost of its implementation is 3.16 million euros
Vélez-Málaga town hall on the eastern Costa del Sol is in the process of making the land required for the construction of the future ... Axarquía desalination plant available. It has given initial approval to the project to acquire 32,597.84 square metres situated to the north of the A-7 motorway, between Camino del Higueral and Camino de Torrox.
The file sets an overall valuation of 3.16 million euros. Part of the planned compensation will take the form of municipal land and the town hall has also set aside 451,83 euros to cover the financial shortfall, according to figures provided on Monday by the town hall.
The mayor, Jesús Lupiáñez, has argued that the town hall is "doing its bit" and has particularly highlighted the work carried out by the town planning department and municipal technicians over recent months. "The desalination plant is far too important for our region to remain merely a matter of announcements," he said.
The planning application covers 32,597 square metres alongside the A-7 and sets the value of the land at 3.16 million euros
Initial approval does not yet mean that work on the desalination plant will begin. The project is to be carried out by the state, through the public company Acuamed and remains subject to the necessary technical, environmental and administrative procedures. In March the central government set a target of starting work by the end of 2027, provided that the approval process could be expedited.
Draft project
In March the then minister of finance, María Jesús Montero, presented the draft project drawn up by the irrigators and the Mancomunidad association of town halls in the Axarquía and confirmed at the time that the central government would take charge of the project through Acuamed. The document provides for an investment of approximately 201.58 million euros and an initial production capacity of 25 million cubic metres per year, expandable to 50.
That draft project also situated the plant within the municipal boundaries of Vélez-Málaga, next to the A-7 motorway and between the roads to Higueral and Torrox. However, in March, more than 45,000 square metres of land valued at 5.5 million were announced, while the dossier now approved by the town hall specifies an area of 32,597.84 square metres and a valuation of 3.16 million. This difference is due to the fact that part of the land was already owned by the town hall.
The desalination plant has been at the centre of political and agricultural debate in the region for several years, following the droughts suffered by the Axarquía. Although rainfall in recent years has allowed La Viñuela reservoir to recover and restored the system to normality, the authorities have agreed on the need for new infrastructure that guarantees a stable supply of water for domestic use and irrigation.
In July, Lupiáñez called on Acuamed to provide a specific timetable for the project. He has now reiterated that request and urged the central government to "move forward with the planning process, put the project out to tender and build the desalination plan". he added, "Months have passed and this region still needs certainty."
The mayor maintains that the plant must remain outside the realm of party politics and describes it as a "strategic necessity" for the future water supply of the Axarquía. While the preliminary design and the future construction project continue to go through the state approval process, the Council is now seeking to secure the necessary land. "The Axarquía needs water, it needs certainty, and it needs this desalination plant to go ahead," concluded Lupiáñez.
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