Desalination, a Strategic and Controversial Resource in Spain

Abstract

The need to find new sources of water due to the climatic conditions of certain areas of Spain, as well as the increasing urban tourism and agricultural demands, and in addition to the foreseen scenarios as a result of climate change, have led to the use of non-conventional resources, such as desalination. Although the Canary Islands already resorted to desalination plants 40 years ago, it was not until the 1990s that some of these plants began to be introduced to areas of high water deficit within the peninsula of Spain. Nevertheless, their boom occurred in 2005 due to the government's propulsion of the 'A.G.U.A.' program, through which they installed a multitude of plants along the Mediterranean coast, as a result of a change in government and in its water management policy. This source was seen as an almost inexhaustible and suitable alternative in comparison with transfers, because of their regional and political controversies. The water generation capacity of these new plants was calculated based on demand perspectives related to the real estate boom, with demand in volumes that were never reached, due to the bursting of the real estate bubble and the economic crisis. In addition, the high-energy consumption associated with the desalination process (reverse osmosis) substantially increases the price of water, which makes it impossible for some sectors, especially irrigators, to have access to these waters. This communication details all the aspects related to the evolution of desalination in Spain, as well as its current situation, where as a consequence of the above, these plants, which entailed a significant economic investment, are working at very low yields and using their water as a strategic resource, especially during times of drought.

Extending Natural Limits to Address Water Scarcity? The Role of Non-Conventional Water Fluxes in Climate Change Adaptation Capacity: A Review

“…A common measure of energy use is specific energy consumption, expressed in kWh/m 3 , which has been analyzed for different desalination stages and other water sources in south-east Spain (Table 4). Variations in desalination energy consumption are due to different factors such as plant altitude, the age of the plant, the salinity of the feed water, targeted desalinated water quality, the production capacity, the use of energy recovery systems, and the type of membrane technology [110,112]. Additionally, further energy requirements for desalination post-treatments (boron removal), the allocation to irrigation plots, and the on-farm specific energy consumption [113] should also be considered.…”

“…A body of research has analyzed the evolution of desalination in south-east Spain and the changes associated with water governance from a historical and critical perspective, in some cases following the theoretical framework of political ecology. Following the development of regional initiatives in the mid-1990s for the promotion of brackish desalination, and small private-owned desalination plants with government subsidies [44,72,109], the development of seawater desalination on the Spanish Mediterranean coast occurred following the approval of the Actuaciones para la Gestión y la Utilización del Agua (AGUA) program in 2005 [112]. This program conceived of seawater desalination as the alternative to inter-regional water transfers and indicates a policy shift in Spanish water management, avoiding further inter-regional political conflicts related to water, as occurred with the Tajo-Segura transfer [46].…”

“…This program conceived of seawater desalination as the alternative to inter-regional water transfers and indicates a policy shift in Spanish water management, avoiding further inter-regional political conflicts related to water, as occurred with the Tajo-Segura transfer [46]. However, this commitment for desalination development occurred in the context of the Spanish real estate boom, which had repercussions on the oversizing of some plants and in the approach to construction, much of which was based on projected upward urban growth trends [112]. In addition to the unfulfilled demand expectation due to the collapse of the real estate market and the economic crisis, some important issues, such as high energy demand and its repercussions for the water price, were not planned for correctly [46].…”

How to Close the Gap of Desalinated Seawater for Agricultural Irrigation? Confronting Attitudes between Managers and Farmers in Alicante and Murcia (Spain)

“…Source: own elaboration from the questionnaires. Notes: 1 Petition was on 1986; 2 Latest statutes in 2015; 3 Although the first irrigation campaign with desalinated water was in 1979 with the arrival of the TST; 4 This surface increases until 3515 ha (taking into account the surface currently occupied by the industrial park); 5 This surface is reduced to 32,000 in a dry period; 6 Part of this surface (12,620 ha) corresponds to traditional irrigation (unregulated); 7 Some farms up to 200-300 ha; 8 Some farms up to 400 ha; 9 Some farms up to 40-50 ha; 10 Professional farmer: 20 ha, with 7-8 large fruit and vegetable companies (25-30 ha each one); 11 Some farms up to 50-100 ha; 12 One horticultural company uses 800 ha and a fruit company, about 300 ha; 13 Some horticultural companies up to 150 ha; 14 Vegetables include lettuce, broccoli, artichoke, cauliflower, tomatoes, celery, potato, onion, and pepper; while fruits include citrus, melon, watermelon, grape, and mango.…”

“…Water desalination is an energy intensive approach for freshwater production [13], and the rapid increase in installed capacity has resulted in increasing energy consumption. Although technological advances have been made aimed at reducing energy consumption by incorporating new and more efficient energy recoveries or membranes, this issue is still a problem to be taken into consideration [14]. Nevertheless, in some countries, the cost of desalination is progressively dropping, making desalination now more economically competitive and attractive than conventional water resources [15].…”