The Environment Minister, Maria da Graça Carvalho, has criticised the previous PS Government for the failure to "take into account" the cost of the Algarve desalination plant project.
Speaking to journalists after a visit to Garrão beach, in Loulé yesterday, she said that the lack of funds to finance the construction of the future desalination plant for the Algarve, compared to the support provided for in the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP), is a “very Portuguese saga”.
“It has now emerged that more funding is needed after all. This is a very Portuguese saga, but one that I do not like, and I very much regret that those who authorised the desalination plant to have a greater capacity did not ensure in the RRP the necessary funding to cover all that capacity,” said Maria da Graça Carvalho, referring to the previous PS Government.
At the meeting, the minister announced investments to protect the coast and stressed that it would have been easier to have secured all the financing at the beginning, with the amount coming from the PRR being 56 million euros and the total value of the work exceeding 100 million euros.
“Now we are here to solve the problem. Together with the Minister for Cohesion, we will analyse the situation and find a solution”, she said, adding that there are currently two candidates for the international tender for the construction of the desalination plant, which will be located in Albufeira.
The president of the Algarve Intermunicipal Community (AMAL), António Miguel Pina, suggested that the missing portion could come “either from the State Budget or from the allocation of funds from the PRR” and that the Government could use funds from other projects “that will not be able to be executed within the deadline”.
The desalination plant will have an initial capacity of 16 cubic hectometres to convert seawater into drinking water, and will be financed under the PRR with an investment of around 50 million Euros.
In a public session, the president of AMAL also expressed concerns about the possibility of Águas do Algarve, the promoter of the project, passing on the cost of the desalination plant directly to consumers via their bills, if it had to advance with its own funds.
During her visit to the Algarve, Maria da Graça Carvalho also said that at the end of August the Government will reassess the drought situation in the region, hoping that “very drastic” changes will not be necessary.
The Environment Minister stressed that the current situation is “considerably better” than that recorded in 2023 - which was a “difficult year” - due to the rain that fell this winter, stressing that another good indicator is the water savings that have been recorded: 12% in June and 9% from January to June this year.
