Torrevieja Mayor opposes the construction of a new desalination plant in the municipality

Torrevieja’s mayor, Eduardo Dolón, has declared his complete opposition to the construction of a new desalination plant in the city, noting, “Once again, we are faced with an announcement made by the Socialist Party, without any prior communication to the Torrevieja City Council.”

Last Thursday, May 15th, the Secretary General of the Socialist Party of the Region of Murcia announced that the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) will tender the preliminary project for a new desalination plant in Torrevieja, with a production capacity of 100 hm³ per year, in June.

Eduardo Dolón points out that the Spanish government’s approach “is not new”; rather, it “replicates the same approach as in previous situations,” such as the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security, and Migration’s announcement to locate a Reception Centre for migrant minors in the parking lot of the General Treasury of Social Security in Torrevieja. Once again, a project affecting our city and its citizens is presented with a complete lack of openness and no indication of readiness to participate in discourse with the municipal authorities.”

The mayor also emphasises that a facility producing 100 hm³ per year would double Torrevieja’s desalinated water production, as the existing desalination plant currently produces 80 hm³ per year and will be expanded to 120 hm³ per year, as announced by President Pedro Sánchez in Torrevieja and whose works have already been awarded.

If the announced plans to build a new desalination plant in Torrevieja come true, “it is highly likely that there would be a significant environmental and territorial impact on our city, both due to the significant land use required for the facility itself and the significant hydraulic pipeline infrastructure that would have to be built throughout the city’s urban layout, as occurred in the San Roque neighbourhood with the construction of the current desalination plant.”

Land restitution plans stalled

The mayor of Torrevieja declared that the land restoration activities on the Western Breakwater remain incomplete and have completely ceased. ACUMED’s commitments to the city include the Los Náufragos and Lo Ferrís pedestrian walkways, as well as the Acequión neighbourhood restoration plan. However, MITECO reports have halted some of these projects.

Eduardo Dolón has criticised the fact that such a large-scale project in the city had to be announced by a socialist politician from the Region of Murcia with no public assessment from representatives of the local PSOE or the PSPV, “whose silence shows that they find themselves in an uncomfortable position, especially given the recent cuts the Spanish government has made to the Tajo-Segura Transfer.”

Finally, the mayor requests an urgent meeting with the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge to permanently unblock the city’s pending PRTs. The Ministry must provide a transparent explanation for the decision to locate a new desalination plant at Torrevieja, considering the over 1,000 kilometres of coastline from the Valencian Community to the province of Almería. Finally, the mayor must notify Torrevieja City Council of the new facility’s intended site so that any potential environmental and territorial implications can be evaluated.