Little by little, new details are becoming known about the announcement made by the Climate Action councilor, David Mascort, to build a floating desalination plant in the port of Barcelona. The planned plan is being coordinated by ATL, the public company of the Generalitat responsible for producing and distributing water in the region served by the Ter and Llobregat.
The models that inspire this plan are the existing plants in Saudi Arabia and Oman, according to ATL sources. The example cited is that of the floating desalination plant installed on a barge launched in January 2022 at the port of Al-Xuqaiq, in Saudi Arabia. This plant is known as Metito 1, in reference to the company responsible for construction and operation (Metito Overseas Ltd, Metito Group), based in Dubai. Metito 1 has a production capacity of 50,000 cubic meters of water. “There are very few precedents for floating desalination plants in the world, and there are none in Spain,” says Domingo Zarzo, president of the Spanish Desalination and Reuse Association.
The ATL technicians consider that the water collection can be carried out in the port of Barcelona itself. For this reason, it has the endorsement of the analyzes carried out in recent years in these waters, subject to continuous monitoring to assess the possible presence of hydrocarbons. They are therefore not analyzes made specifically for this occasion, but available thanks to the usual controls. And the conclusion is that the flows can be treated with reverse osmosis.
It is also known that the salty waste from desalination (brines) cannot be given to the port area, something prohibited in the Ports of the State law on the prevention and fight against pollution (article 62). The forecast is that these discharges will take place about 700 meters outside the port area. For this, authorization from the Catalan Water Agency will be required and an environmental assessment would be required, according to ATL.
The floating platform would measure a maximum of about 150 meters in length, and likewise, it is known that, although there is electrical power available to power the floating desalination plant (6MW), an electricity transformer substation will have to be built. The connection cable could be stuck in the dock; or if the platform is far from it, it should be placed under water.
The desalination plant would be in charge of Coxabengoa, whose spokespeople confirmed that they have maintained contacts with the Generalitat, although there is no constructive project. The company presents itself on its website as a specialist “in the design and construction of desalination plants, with more than 30 plants in Spain, Africa, Latin America, the United States, Asia and the Middle East”. However, the same sources admit that it has not previously developed the technology for a floating facility.
These new details complete the announcement by councilor Mascort, who explained that this infrastructure would be used in the event that the Barcelona region enters a level II emergency, which was initially placed on the horizon in October. The “purchase” of the floating desalination plant would be for five years under the premise that during this period the two new fixed desalination plants planned (Tordera II, in Blanes, and Foix, in Cubelles) will be available. It would produce 40,000 cubic meters of water per day, the equivalent of 6% of the water consumption in the Barcelona area, and its cost has been estimated at 100 million euros including operation and price of water production. The desalination plant will have a direct connection to the metropolitan water network, as it will take advantage of the existing water service connection, previously planned in view of the possible arrival of ships with water from Sagunto.
However, there are still many questions. It has not been reported about the place of manufacture of the components, although it is known that some of these components would come from abroad. In fact, it is usual that these membrane filters have to be imported, which means that the whole installation is subject to the risks inherent in the dependence of the foreign supplier. On the other hand, the plans could be conditioned or altered by the approaches of the new Government that comes out of the polls. Meanwhile, the reservoirs in the Barcelona region have experienced a slight recovery this past week, reaching 19% of their capacity.
