The Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) has issued a favourable Environmental Impact Statement for the seawater desalination plant project to be installed in the Algarve, although it is still subject to compliance with a set of conditions.
In a statement, the APA states that regarding concerns related to the impacts of brine rejection 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”.
According to the APA, despite considering that the impacts “are not significant, a set of requirements were incorporated into the decision to safeguard these possible impacts, as well as the development of possible additional minimization measures”.
The desalination station project to be installed in Albufeira is part of the Algarve Regional Water Efficiency Plan, being one of the investments in component C09 – Water Management of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), specified the APA.
The environmental impact assessment procedure took into account the concerns expressed during public consultation, “which coincide with the main themes addressed and considered in the assessment and, in general, are reflected in the set of established conditions”.
According to the APA, given that the environmental impact assessment procedure took place in the preliminary study phase, “a second assessment will occur in the execution project phase, with a view to verifying the environmental compliance of the execution project with the DIA now issued.”
Therefore, licensing and the beginning of construction of the desalination plant can only occur after issuing the environmental compliance decision for the implementation project, the APA clarified.
The decision resulted from the evaluation carried out by the evaluation committee set up for this purpose, coordinated by APA and which included representatives from various bodies, namely the Algarve Regional Coordination and Development Commission, the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests, the National Laboratory of Energy and Geology, the General Directorate of Natural Resources, Security and Maritime Services, the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto and the Baeta Neves Center for Applied Ecology of the Instituto Superior de Agronomia.
The construction of a desalination plant in Albufeira, whose base value is 90 million euros, is one of the response measures to the drought affecting the southern region of Portugal, with the equipment expected to have an initial capacity to convert seawater in potable capacity of 16 cubic hectometres.
According to Águas do Algarve, the company responsible for supplying water in the region, which is responsible for managing infrastructure such as dams or Wastewater Treatment Plants, the work is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2026.
The year 2026 is the year established as the limit for the use of PRR funds, a support program created by the European Union to revitalize the economy after the covid-19 pandemic.
The Algarve is being affected by a drought that caused a shortage of water reserves and the previous Government took measures to restrict consumption to be applied from March, such as cuts of 25% to agriculture and 15% to the urban sector.
In addition to the desalination plant, municipal investments are also underway to combat network losses, reduce or eliminate irrigation in green spaces or use treated water to irrigate golf courses and clean streets.
At the same time, there are plans and proposals to capture water from the Guadiana river in Pomarão and take it to the Odeleite dam, in the eastern Algarve, and the construction of a third dam in that area of the Algarve, on the Foupana river.
Source https://www.lusa.pt/ - Photo courtesy of Depositphotos.com
