Efficient water management, an increasingly scarce natural resource and conditioned by the pressure on ecosystems, is a first -order strategic challenge. The search for the best solutions for all uses of water, urban, industrial or agricultural, and adapt to the heterogeneous circumstances and needs of each region, is the basis of the commitment of the operators of the integral water cycle for promoting technological vanguard solutions that respond to that challenge.
In that line is the performance of Aqualia as a company of urban water management. Two of her most emblematic projects, the desalination company Mar de Alborán, in Almería, and the purification or casal, in Vigo, have recently been recognized in the global watercar Recent Global Water Summit held in Paris, with assistance of more than 1,000 specialists worldwide.
Awarded projects are clear examples of how technology can adapt to local realities. And a sample of how it is possible to design intelligent, resilient and sustainable infrastructures, capable not only of responding to the challenges of the present, but also anticipating those of the future.
Vanguard of urban water
Built by Aqualia in Vigo, the water treatment plant or Casal has been recognized as the best in Europe and the second in the world in the “best plant of the year” category. It supplies high quality drinking water to about 500,000 people in the city and its metropolitan area.
This is the first plant in Spain that uses ultrafiltration membranes for the treatment of drinking water, technology that allows to meet the most demanding quality European standards. A relevant innovation in a region where torrential rains can compromise gross water quality, which requires a robust and reliable water treatment system. This plant also stands out for its circular and vertical architectural design that optimizes the limited space available for its location. In addition, the constructive strategy allowed to maintain the supply of water throughout the process of lifting the new plant on the pre -existing.
Seawater to feed Europe
The current desalist Mar de Alborán, which manages Aqualia, is the result of the rehabilitation of an old plant acquired in 2019 and has been selected among the four best in the world in the category “Best Desalination of the Year” in the Global Water Awards.
It is dimensioned to produce up to 20 cubic hectometers of desalinated water per year, mainly intended for agricultural irrigation. In fact, the plant supplies more than 3,500 hectares of greenhouses, whose production is allocated to European markets, and 150 users of the Níjar field.
The latest generation technology used in this plant, reverse osmosis with nanotechnology, eliminates up to 99.85% of salt and other elements such as boron and guarantees adequate water quality for crops. With this innovation, the plant also protects the overexploited local aquifers, which are seriously salinized, and opens new possibilities of agricultural diversification to improve the competitiveness of the sector.
Apart from its technological benefits, Mar de Alborán has been designed with strict sustainability criteria for its integration into the natural environment. Thus, to minimize its environmental impact it will have its own photovoltaic plant that will cover 25% of its energy demand, and the rest will be covered with green energy in the market. All these aspects, operational efficiency, technological innovation and environmental commitment to the project, have been especially highlighted by the jury of the Global Water Awards.
Each with its function, characteristics and priorities,- in Almería, guarantee the availability of water for agriculture in a semi-arid environment, and, in Vigo, ensure quality drinking water in an urban context of climate challenges- both plants are examples of how technology can and should adapt to local realities.
And, both also represent technical milestones and a management model committed to the environment and well -being of people, in a world where water will be increasingly a strategic resource.