“My hunch is that desalination is the low hanging fruit, and if we are lucky it will improve drinking water quality, restore the ecological integrity of the Llobregat river and reduce treatment costs,” according to a Catalan Ph.D student at the University of Illinois, who asked not to be named.
Although Spain, and especially Catalunya, are gambling on the desalination technique to solve their water problem, the odds are in their favour, especially considering the latest developments in solar and wind energy as power sources. The plant in Abrera has just been named ‘Desalinator of the Year’ by Global Water Intelligence, a leading market analyst for the international water industry. The Abrera plant is producing a high quality of potable water, exceeding the EU standard and using a low energy consumption rate. At the recent opening of the Abrera expansion, José Montilla, President of the Generalitat, announced, “If it rains or not, we will have water. If drought comes, we are prepared. After this extraordinary investment, the problems of the past should not happen again.”
At the same event, Francesc Baltasar, Environmental Minister for the Generalitat declared, “We will have better tasting water at a lower price. Each home should save between €35 and €45 a year.”
If that turns out to be the case, the new desalinators are likely to receive a warm welcome from most people.
More info:
Global Water Intelligence—www.globalwaterintel.com
Xarxa de Parcs Naturals—www.diba.es/parcsn
For an analysis of Spain’s water resources—www.adu-res.org
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