Spain Considers Desalination Plants to Combat Severe Drought

Faced with the scarcity of rainfall that is drying up water reservoirs, whose capacity has fallen to 29%, the Moroccan government has decided, among other things, to trigger rain through cloud seeding techniques, and to build seawater desalination plants to ensure access to drinking water for the population, especially for farmers.

The kingdom will build on the Atlantic coast, near Rabat, the largest desalination plant in Africa and the second largest in the world. With a production capacity of 822,000 cubic meters per day, it will supply drinking water to the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra (Atlantic coast) and Fès-Meknès (center) regions.

Also affected by drought for several years, Spain wants to draw inspiration from the Moroccan model. According to El Periódico de Catalunya, the authorities on the peninsula are considering creating desalination plants to combat water scarcity, particularly in the regions of Catalonia and Andalusia, which are particularly affected.

In addition to the Tordera and El Prat desalination plants that are operational, and the one under construction in the north of the Costa Brava that should be operational by 2032, Spain plans to expand the Tordera II desalination plant in Blanes (Girona) to increase its capacity from 20 to 80 hectometers cubes of water by 2029 and thus provide an additional 280 hectometers cubes of water to Catalonia by 2030.