Costa del Sol desalination plant doubles water treatment capacity after completion of first phase of work

The Marbella desalination plant on the western strip of the Costa del Sol can now produce 12 cubic hectometres (hm3) of water following the completion of the first phase of the project, according to an announcement made on Monday 23 September by the Junta de Andalucía's spokesperson for water Ramón Fernández-Pacheco, during a visit to the facilities.

Fernández-Pacheco was accompanied by the president of the Mancomunidad association of town halls on the western Costa del Sol, Manuel Cardeña, the CEO of Acosol, Matilde Mancha, the mayor of Marbella, Ángeles Muñoz, as well as other councillors from the towns that will benefit from this project.

The project, which has seen an investment of 4.3 million euros, has doubled the capacity of the infrastructure from six to 12 hm3. The second phase of this project to expand the operation and improve the water quality of the desalination plant is already underway for a total of 2.9 million euros, which will allow the facilities to produce 20 hm3 in the first quarter of 2025.

"The production that the Marbella desalination plant will achieve represents between 15 and 20 per cent of the Costa del Sol's needs, which means that not only will it be able to supply the area but, if necessary and if there is a surplus, resources could be transferred to Malaga city, the Campo de Gibraltar and even the Axarquía," said Fernández-Pacheco.

Muñoz said that the facility would give peace of mind to the Costa del Sol. "Our main industry would have no reason to exist without such a necessary resource as water, a pillar that sustains our tourist activity and our economic engine," she said, while stressing that "the desalination plant will have a more modern and efficient technology that will produce better quality water at a better cost, while it is a satisfactory solution to the lack of rainfall in a year that has not been at all good and that we have all suffered".

ETAP 

Drought continues to be one of the main problems plaguing Malaga province. Monday 1 October marks the end of the water year and the figures are not encouraging, which is why the Andalusian government has launched a roadmap to alleviate the lack of rainfall and ensure supply. In addition to the Marbella desalination plant, Fernández-Pacheco announced that "the project for the extension and improvement of the Río Verde drinking water treatment plant (ETAP) in Marbella will be put out to tender for more than 37 million euros".

As Fernández-Pacheco pointed out, this infrastructure, which dates back to 1972, is in need of major work as it has become obsolete. "This action will improve both the quality of the water and the pipes of a fundamental infrastructure for this area, which dates back to the early 1970s and has become completely obsolete. With this tender, the treatment capacity will be doubled, going from 173,000 cubic metres a day to 400,000," he added.