The Ministry of Environment and Energy set up the Monitoring Group for the Algarve Seawater Deslination Plant (EDAMA) to monitor the stage of building the desalination plant, ensuring transparency, outreach, and the participation of local, regional, and national stakeholders involved.

Chaired by the Portuguese Environment Agency, the group brings together municipalities, representatives of fishermen, ENGO’s, the Algarve Tourism Board, the University of the Algarve, and other public bodies in an encompassing approach to exchange good practices while the works are carried out.

The Minister of Environment and Energy Maria da Graça Carvalho claimed the intention is to have “works followed closely by the communities and entities that know the area”, stressing that this model “ensures transparency, trust, and quality in the execution of a structural investment”.

The Algarve desalination plant is part of a water source diversification strategy to reduce pressure on aquifers and reservoirs and boost the region’s water resilience.

In a second ordinance, it was set that the Portuguese Environment Agency will assess the scheme for the infrastructure’s functioning, reserving its full-capacity operation for situations of water shortage as a last resort for public supply.

“This is an essential infrastructure for the Algarve’s future, yet its use will always be responsible and balanced”, the Minister claimed.