A precautionary injunction lodged by the former owner of land expropriated for the construction of a desalination plant in Albufeira has immediately suspended the project’s works, it was announced today.
In a statement sent to the newsrooms Seacliff, owner of the Pine Sun Park tourist development in Albufeira’s Olhos de Água, confirmed that the legal action challenging the administrative acts underpinning the project was submitted to the Loulé Administrative and Fiscal Court on 26th April.
Teresa Fernandes, spokesperson for Águas do Algarve, the company heading the desalination project, confirmed to journalists that the relevant authorities have already been formally notified of the injunction filed by Seacliff, who is the former owner of the expropriated site where the Algarve Seawater Desalination Plant is to be built.
“At this stage, we are carefully analysing the terms of the initial petition submitted to the Loulé Administrative and Fiscal Court by the company’s legal representative, so that, as interested parties, we may present a clear and unequivocal defence. It will ultimately be for the courts to decide on this matter,” the company said in a written response to the press.
Under the applicable legal framework, the injunction produces an immediate effect, suspending construction of the desalination plant once the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) and Águas do Algarve have been formally notified.
“Águas do Algarve and the APA will have the opportunity to respond to the injunction and to defend, as they have done previously, what they consider to be the project’s public interest. Seacliff will, naturally, respond to that defence of the alleged public interest,” the former landowner concluded.
Portugal’s Sustainable Water Platform (PAS) group has argued that the latest injunction filed by Seacliff against the construction of the Algarve desalination plant exposes shortcomings in coordination and transparency within regional water management policy.
In a statement, the platform criticised the process surrounding the planned Algarve Desalination Plant (EDAM), scheduled for Praia da Falésia in Albufeira, warning of significant environmental risks.
According to PAS, the infrastructure could affect marine ecosystems, with potential impacts on biodiversity and economic activities such as tourism and fishing, arguing that the projected water output does not justify the scale of investment.
The organisation also highlighted that the injunction, which carries suspensive effects on construction, comes at a time when the Government has announced the lifting of restrictions on licensing new boreholes, despite several aquifers remaining in a critical condition.
PAS says the decision raises questions about the coherence of public policy and the technical criteria guiding water management measures.
The platform argues that priority should instead be given to restoring aquifer systems and improving water efficiency, namely through reducing network losses and expanding water reuse.
It further criticised reliance on large-scale infrastructure solutions, such as new dams and the desalination plant, advocating instead for a more grounded strategy.
Source: LUSA
