La Costa del Sol Occidental will have, starting this summer, 20 cubic hectometers of desalinated water per year from the Marbella plant, thanks to the improvement and adaptation works in which the Andalusian government has invested almost 7.5 million euros, and whose second phase is about to be completed.
This was announced by the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development, Ramón Fernández-Pacheco, during his speech at the closing of the commemorative events for the 30th anniversary of the founding of Acosol, the public company of the Mancomunidad de Municipios de la Costa del Sol Occidental.
The Marbella desalination plant, state-owned but managed by Acosol, is a facility from the nineties that used to have a production capacity of 20 cubic hectometers per year, but due to various functional issues, its production decreased to six cubic hectometers. To reverse this situation, the Junta has allocated a total of 7.5 million euros for various actions.
Last year, the first phase of the works at the plant was completed, which allowed the capacity to be expanded from six to 12 cubic hectometers. Starting this summer, the Marbella desalination plant will be able to produce an additional eight cubic hectometers, recovering its initial capacity of 20 cubic hectometers, which will cover between 15 and 20% of the needs of the Costa del Sol Occidental.
«This action, which was the responsibility of the State but has been taken on by the Andalusian government to assist this region, has an added bonus because, in addition to meeting the demand of this specific area, in case of need and in the face of possible surpluses, it will allow the transfer of resources to the city of Malaga, the Campo de Gibraltar, and the Axarquía, as the systems are interconnected,» highlighted Fernández-Pacheco.
A dozen offers to expand the Río Verde WTP
The minister also referred to the tender, for 37 million euros, for the expansion of the Drinking Water Treatment Plant (DWTP) of Río Verde, in Marbella, also managed by Acosol. «We are currently studying around a dozen offers that have been submitted, and we trust that once all the processing and contracting is completed, this action can start as soon as possible, with the aim of doubling the treatment capacity of this plant,» he explained.
Ramón Fernández-Pacheco highlighted the commitment of the Andalusian government in hydraulic matters with the province of Malaga and the Costa del Sol Occidental, one of the most touristic regions of Spain and which triples its population in the summer period. Among the completed projects, he mentioned the improvement of the Rojas Pumping Station, with an investment of one million euros, which will make it possible to transfer water resources in two directions, from Malaga to the Costa del Sol Occidental and the Campo de Gibraltar.
As he pointed out, the renovation of the sewer collectors of Fuengirola is about to be completed, with more than 7.3 million euros allocated, and works on disaster prevention and management at the Concepción Dam are being carried out for 2.3 million euros.
Regarding Acosol’s 30th anniversary, the minister thanked the commitment shown by this company throughout its trajectory in modernizing hydraulic infrastructures, continuously improving the services provided to citizens, and developing water efficiency policies.
He also extended his thanks and congratulations to the entire management team and its workers, «responsible for a job well done, which makes this entity an example of efficient and sustainable water management in our community.»
Loyalty and institutional collaboration
During these commemorative events, the president of the Mancomunidad de Municipios de la Costa del Sol Occidental, Manuel Cardeña, and the mayor of Marbella, Ángeles Muñoz, also spoke. The mayor congratulated Acosol «for its 30 years of history and for its commitment to efficiency, sustainability, and innovation in providing an essential public service.»
She also emphasized the cooperation between Acosol and the Marbella City Council to promote and carry out much-needed and historically requested works, as well as the collaboration and institutional loyalty of the Junta de Andalucía to push forward priority infrastructures in the city, such as the expansion and modernization of the desalination plant or the tender for the drinking water treatment plant.
For his part, Manuel Cardeña highlighted the work done by the professionals of the public company of the Mancomunidad de Municipios de la Costa del Sol Occidental: «We have just faced a severe drought that we have tackled together among all the municipalities and with the collaboration of the Junta de Andalucía; our challenge now is to promote the use of reclaimed water and thus significantly reduce the consumption of drinking water to preserve it for human consumption,» he stated.