Ribera says that Barcelona and its metropolis will have water from the Sagunto desalination plant in June if it is "necessary"

The production costs are assumed by the Government, while Catalonia will pay for transportation and unloading.

BARCELONA, 5 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The third vice president of the Government and minister for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Teresa Ribera, has assured that Catalonia will be able to use water from the Sagunto desalination plant (Valencia) from the beginning of June, "if necessary", to guarantee resources. water in Barcelona and its metropolitan area in the face of drought.

He said this this Monday at a press conference at the Climate Action Department of the Generalitat in Barcelona, ​​after meeting with Minister David Mascort to analyze the drought situation in Catalonia, where they have addressed the expansion of the Tordera desalination plant (Girona). ) and the construction of Foix (Barcelona) with 500 million euros through European funds.

This Saturday, the minister informed the president of the Valencian Community, Carlos Mazón, of the intention to transport water by boat from the desalination plant located in Sagunto to Catalonia, to alleviate the shortage of water resources in the latter, a solution that she sees as the "technically simpler and more viable."

The minister explained that the Sagunto desalination plant will begin to operate at full capacity; that the cost of water production will be assumed by Acuamed and the Government; and that the Generalitat is working on "how to assume the capacity of transporting and collecting water" in Barcelona.

He has reported that each ship will transport 20,000 cubic meters of water and that a desalination plant like the one in Sagunto requires about 12 hours to produce this amount; that to supply Barcelona and its metropolis it will take "one and a half boats a day or even 2 more or less"; and that when the water reaches the Port of Barcelona it will have to be disembarked with a tube from Aigües de Barcelona.

Asked about the statements of the leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, where he defended the solidarity of the Valencian Community to transport water to Catalonia due to the drought, Ribera says that she does not see "it is reasonable for Feijóo to take credit that he does not have" but that he appreciates his message and believes that in the face of drought, containment and offering solutions are required, in his words.

For his part, Mascort recalled that on other occasions he has said that "in case the transport of water were necessary", the Generalitat has the facilities of the Port of Barcelona and the Port of Tarragona ready, and he celebrates that the Ministry has put water from the Sagunto desalination plant is available to Catalonia to supply Barcelona and its metropolis this summer if necessary.

He has warned that transporting water by boat is a "punctual solution for strategic equipment when the situation arises where water has to be brought" because the drought situation continues without changes.

Asked if the option of transporting water from Tarragona is ruled out, Mascort responded that the Sagunto desalination plant will produce about 20,000 cubic meters that will fill a single ship, and that if Barcelona and its area need about two ships a day of water resources, " "We will have to go get water from two places and not just one."

As for the option of transferring water from the Ebro, both Ribera and Mascort have ruled it out: for the minister the fastest and most efficient way is to transport water to Barcelona from Sagunto, and the minister has reiterated that "there is no need to transfer Ebro water to guarantee water in the metropolitan region of Barcelona" with the current regeneration capacity of Catalonia and the resources that it will receive with the ships.

The Ministry and the Ministry have agreed to expand the Tordera desalination plant (Tordera II) valued at 287 million euros, which will begin in mid-2025 and is expected to be operational in 2028; and they have also planned the construction of Foix, with a budget of 180 million euros, which will begin in the first half of 2026 so that it will be underway in 2029.

The tender for the works will be Acuamed and Aigües Ter-Llobregat (ATL) will monitor and control the actions, and both projects - which represent a total budget of 500 million euros - will be financed through European funds in the of credit, and that will end up having an impact on the bill, according to Minister Mascort.