The Prime Minister of Portugal, Luis Montenegro believes that the signing of the Contract for the desalination plant is a ‘historic moment’. This action has been taken to implement responsible consumption of water.

PM Montenegro Calls Desalination Plant ‘Historic Plan’

Portugal’s Prime Minister is satisfied with the contract signing of the desalination plant in Algarve. He believes that this contract will ease the water management in the region. While signing the contract for the construction of the desalination plant in the Algarve, Mr. Luis stated:

We can never lose focus on accountability. [This plan is] historic moment for Portugal and the Algarve.

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This desalination plant will provide fresh water through the desalination process. The seawater, which consists of salt, will be converted into fresh water. Mr. Luis Montenegro has now signed a contract for the construction of this plant in Algarve. During this signing process, he also stated:

We can never lose focus on accountability. We can never lose focus on responsibility. We can never lose focus on avoiding any feeling that the problems have been solved.

Government Signed Contract In Algarve

Prime Minister Luis Montenegro led a government delegation. This delegation traveled to the Algarve to sign the contract at the Algarve Hotelier’s Association (AHETA) headquarters. The delegation included several important ministers such as:

• Minister of Environment and Energy, Maria da Graça Carvalho
• Minister for Territorial Cohesion, Manuel Castro Almeida

This event was attended by several mayors from the Algarve. It was also attended by the president of the Águas de Portugal group, Carmona Rodrigues.  Some other representatives from the companies involved were also present at the signing stage of the contract.

Desalination Plant Source Seawater From Albufeira

The construction of the plant will come into effect which will convert the seawater into fresh water. This plant will source seawater from 2 kilometers from the coast of Albufeira. The desalination plant will be built by a Portuguese Spanish consortium which comprises Aquapor, GS Inima, and Luságua. The value of the contract signed with the Government of Portugal is 108 million Euros. Half of this value will be funded by the PRR (Recovery and Resilience Plan) by the Portugal Government.

The capacity of the desalination plant will be 160 million cubic meters every year when it starts operating. This value is around 500 liters per second. The desalination plant will be equipped with pipelines on sea and land. The Asset Management Director at the regional water company, Águas do Algarve. It will also be equipped with brine disposal systems that can handle 750 liters per second of water. This is converted to 24 million cubic meters per year.

Water Sustainability Vital For Portugal

Portugal is currently struggling with water consumption in various regions. A few months back, some regions of the country were facing water shortages. The prime minister believes that the Government should focus on rationalizing water consumption even after the operation of the desalination plant. When Portugal was facing water shortages, a heavy spell of rainfall saved several regions from drought. Prime Minister believes that the Government cannot rely on rainfall every time. He stated:

The fact that we can relax some restrictions now, and possibly more in the future, should not lead to the perception that the issue is resolved. On the contrary, it’s important to say that, as we make significant investments and ensure sustainability for the future, we must remain focused on responsibility and not fall into the belief that the problems are solved.

The criticism from environmental agencies was also addressed by Montenegro. The environmental authorities want the government to go towards the construction of this plant only if other alternatives for water scarcity in the Algarve cannot be adopted. He believes that this desalination plant will help to provide some solutions to the water scarcity problem. Luis Montenegro stated:

We need to consider all these factors, and those who focus only on one of them are mistaken. Environmental extremism is wrong, and ignoring environmental concerns is also wrong.

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