The "possible locations" of the future desalination plant «they are already under study», revealed this Wednesday, January 12, AMAL – Comunidade Intermunicipal do Algarve, after a meeting this week with João Pedro Matos Fernandes, Minister of the Environment.
This meeting, which took place via videoconference at the request of the mayors of the Algarve, served to make a «state of the investments, within the scope of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), for the water efficiency of the Algarve».
One of the issues addressed was the desalination plant, an investment of 45 million, whose location “is already under analysis”.
The Environment Minister added that the "procedures for the preparation of preliminary studies will be launched in the first quarter of this year".
O Algarve Regional Water Efficiency Plan, included in the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), has a total of 200 million and was made known in February last year.
Investments also include reducing water losses in the urban sector (35 million), increasing the efficiency of the agricultural sector (17 million), strengthening the governance of water resources (5 million), promoting the use of wastewater treated (23 million) and the increase «in the available capacity and resilience of the water supply» (75 million), in other words: the connection between Pomarão and Odeleite.
With regard to these measures, the Minister of the Environment and Climate Action assured that «all are complying with the defined schedule».
«Some projects are already in the physical execution phase, and the years of greatest execution will be in 2024 and 2025», with the expected progress of the connection to Pomarão and the desalination plant.
António Pina, president of the Intermunicipal Community of the Algarve (AMAL), was “very satisfied with the progress made on the ground”.
“All the mayors of the Algarve are enthusiastic and available to help in whatever way they can and within their competence, for the execution of all measures, since they are considered essential for the future of the region”, he added.
The head of AMAL made a point of highlighting the progress made especially with regard to the reinforcement of inflows to Odeleite, through a catchment in Pomarão and the promotion of seawater desalination.
Inês dos Santos Costa, Secretary of State for the Environment, José Apolinário, President of the Algarve Regional Development and Coordination Commission, Pedro Coelho, of the Portuguese Environment Agency – ARH Algarve, António Eusébio, President of Águas do Algarve, also participated in this meeting. and Pedro Monteiro, regional delegate for Agriculture and Fisheries in the Algarve.
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