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Areas Urbanism & territory, Tourism and Economic activities Environment Formentera’s desalination plant registers 20% increase in productive capacity

Formentera’s desalination plant registers 20% increase in productive capacity

foto 2020 dessalinitzadora 2Alejandra Ferrer, Miquel Mir and Antonio J. Sanz visited the island’s seawater desalination plant earlier today to take stock of the remodel currently under way of the plant’s third production line. Formentera’s premiere, the Balearic environment and land minister and the local environment chief were also joined by Guillem Rosselló, managing director of the Balearic Water Agency (ABA), and secretary general Juan Calvo.

The €330,570 remodel, financed with money from the Sustainable Tourism Levy (ITS) and on track for completion in six months, will take the plant’s daily output from 2,000m3 to 2,500m3 — a 20% increase.

Installation of a 2,500m3-capacity reverse osmosis support frame and substitution of a 37.2-square-metre membrane with a 40.1-sq.m. replacement will mean that equipment in place since a 2017 remodel can acheive optimal operation, marking an improvement for energy efficiency at the facility.

President Ferrer called the additional line of production “exciting news for the island”, and stressed that the work, together with earlier optimisation of the plant’s storage capacity, would help the island respond to rising summertime demand. “It’s worth noting that the desalination plant is Formentera’s one and only source of potable fresh water”, Ferrer added.

Minister Mir, for his part, cast the upgrade as “synonymous with an increasingly secure local supply of fresh water”, and tied it to the Balearic environment and land ministry’s goal of fortifying public services in support of the water cycle.

Councillor Sanz reminded islanders that keeping chemicals, oils and hygiene-related refuse out of the sewage network was crucial to a healthy water cycle and assuring proper levels of cleanliness when water arrives at the treatment plant.

Formentera gets its drinking water from the desalination plant courtesy of ABA. The plant’s three lines of production provide desalinated water for urban areas and alleviate pressure on the island’s aquifer, which is currently overused and registering abnormally high salt levels.

Also in the offing are structural reforms of the desalination tank. ABA recently issued a €80,159 contract (VAT not included) for preparation of the plans.

Built in 2002, the €17,500m3-capacity tank holds desalinated water and supplies it to the island. Refurbishments have not been carried out since that time, and various parts of the structure have displayed signs of wear in recent months.

11 December 2020
Communications Department
Consell de Formentera

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