The Minister of Environment and Energy Maria da Graça Carvalho laid the cornerstone for the Algarve desalination plant on 8 July. The facility is being built in the municipality of Albufeira and will strengthen the region's water supply.

The desalination plant will convert seawater into drinking water, with an initial production capacity of 16 million cubic metres per year, rising to 24 million cubic metres at a later stage.

The Minister announced the establishment of a monitoring committee bringing together the mayors of Albufeira and Loulé, representatives of fishermen's associations, parish councils, and other relevant stakeholders.

The committee will oversee the progress of the works and the implementation of the environmental mitigation measures, including monitoring the outfall pipeline used to disperse the brine, one of the main concerns raised by the Municipality of Albufeira.

The project was awarded for €107.92 million to the Portuguese-Spanish consortium formed by Aquapor and GS Inima. Of the total investment, €56 million is financed through the Recovery and Resilience Plan.

Water reuse

The Minister also inaugurated the Vilamoura Water Reuse Plant, in the municipality of Loulé, which treats reclaimed wastewater for irrigation of gardens, golf courses and agricultural land.

Maria da Graça Carvalho said the facility has already secured a number of supply agreements, some of which were signed during the inauguration ceremony.

She also announced that a pilot project will be launched to expand the use of reclaimed water in agriculture, describing the initiative as "a major step forward".

The Minister added that the water produced by the plant is also suitable for human consumption, although there is currently no need for it to be used for that purpose.