Spain is increasing the number and output of its desalination plants to avert another drought

 The Spanish government plans to allocate 127.5 million euros to increase the desalination capacity in the south-east of the country by expanding five of the 11 main marine desalination plants in the autonomous communities of Valencia, Murcia and Andalusia. The water shortage situation in some areas of Spain is so serious that some municipalities have to rent small portable desalination plants. Spain is the top country in Europe and the fifth in the world by capacity for desalinated water production, which can potentially provide 34 million inhabitants with water, the Spanish Desalination and Reuse Association said. So far, 68 marine desalination plants have been installed in Spain, including on the Canary and Balearic Islands. The plants use reverse osmosis technology with conversion rates between 40% and 50%, with the amount of fresh desalinated water and brine effluent being similar. The brine is discharged into the Mediterranean coastal waters, causing a potentially harmful impact on the marine environment.



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