Portugal to build a desalination plant in Albufeira

The Portuguese authorities have selected Albufeira, located in the Algarve region, for the design and construction of a new seawater desalination plant that will provide water for the Algarve area of the country.

Duarte Cordeiro, Minister of Environment and Climate Action, said: “According to the studies carried out by Águas de Portugal (water authority) and which will be delivered for the environmental impact assessment, the location which we are going to propose is the borough of Albufeira.”

According to Portugal Resident, the tender for its construction will be launched by the end of 2023.

The new desalination plant will be built to combat Portugal’s worsening drought. Currently, approximately 36 per cent of the country is facing severe or extreme drought forcing authorities to apply water restrictions in the Algarve.

António Pina, president of the Algarve Municipalities Association (AMAL), claimed that the new facility will be able to produce “one-third of the Algarve’s urban water needs.”

The new desalination plant will provide “an insurance plan” for the Algarve for periods of prolonged drought, added Pina.