The Government confirms that it will take desalinated water on ships from Sagunto to Catalonia

The Government faces opposition from the Valencian Community regarding their proposal to transport desalinated water from Sagunto to Catalonia in order to alleviate the severe drought that threatens the water supply of Barcelona, its metropolitan area, and Girona during the upcoming summer. With six million residents affected, the Ministry of Ecological Transition aims to transfer up to seven cubic hectometers of water to ensure an adequate supply.

To meet this supply, the water will be sourced from the closest desalination plant owned by the public company Acuamed. The plan is for at least two boats to depart from Sagunto to the port of Barcelona daily throughout the summer. The third vice president and Minister of Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, conveyed these plans to the president of the Generalitat Valenciana, Carlos Mazón, during a recent phone call. In an act of solidarity, the Valencian Government has set aside its water-related differences with Ribera’s department to lead by example and demonstrate the generosity it expects from other regions in response to the needs of the southern Alicante regions.

“I am in favor of water solidarity between regions, a solidarity that must be officially extended to all of Spain,” stated Carlos Mazón.

The Sagunto plant, with a desalination capacity of 8.4 cubic hectometers, is currently operating at only 10% capacity, but this will be increased to meet the supply required for shipment. This approach had been employed previously during the severe drought that affected Catalonia in 2008, although back then the water was sourced from Marseille. It is now the only feasible option chosen by the Government since a transfer of water from the Ebro River to the Catalan regions was ruled out due to opposition from the Aragonese Executive led by Jorge Azcón.

Ribera assured Mazón that increasing the desalination plant’s capacity “above 15%” will not affect the needs of the province of Valencia, which still has the Júcar basin reservoirs at 48% of their capacity.

However, Mazón used the opportunity to express his views on other matters to the Ministry. He not only emphasized the importance of solidarity in water usage, with management guided by a national perspective, but also supported the idea that desalinated water should be primarily used for emergencies and oral consumption, rather than irrigation. According to Mazón, irrigation with desalinated water would be detrimental to crops, particularly citrus fruits.

This is the stance taken by the Generalitat regarding the recent reductions in the Tajo-Segura transfer approved by Pedro Sánchez’s government. The Generalitat intends to provide resources from desalination plants created since 2007 in the Segura basin to compensate for these reductions. However, the Generalitat argues that desalination is not a suitable solution for irrigation due to its higher cost and the fact that it lacks sufficient nutrients, which adversely affects crops.

While supporting Ribera’s approach, Mazón also requested a meeting with the minister to address water needs in the Valencian Community, specifically focusing on the Tajo-Segura transfer and emergency contributions required by the Albufera Natural Park.

The Generalitat has taken its dispute with the government to the Supreme Court, challenging the unjustified increase in ecological flows of the Tagus River, which its experts believe has resulted in a decrease in resources available for the Segura basin. The Ministry sided with Castilla-La Mancha, defended by Emiliano García-Page, last year, despite a previous pre-agreement with Ximo Puig that those ecological flows would be periodically reviewed based on technical criteria.

Moreover, a few months ago, the Mazón Council established a Water Roundtable, inviting the Ministry as well, but has yet to receive a response.