Illa states that the metropolitan area of Barcelona has today a "water independence" of 33%

BarcelonaPresident Salvador Illa has placed the "water independence" of the Barcelona metropolitan area at 33%, and recalled that the objective is to reach 70% by 2030. The head of the Catalan Government made this declaration at the inauguration of the Estrella Drinking Water Treatment Plant (ETAP) in Sant Feliu de Llobregat, built by the French multinational Veolia and operated by Aigües de Barcelona, of which it owns 70% of the capital. This facility can treat 1,000 liters of water per second and represented an investment of 47 million.

The inauguration ceremony was also attended by the mayoress of Sant Feliu, Lourdes Borrell; the executive vice-president of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB), Antonio Balmón; the CEO of Veolia, Estelle Brachlianoff, and the president of Aigües de Barcelona, Miquel Roca Junyent. Also participating were the councillor Sílvia Paneque; the president of Veolia Spain, Rafael Villaseca, and the country director for Veolia, Daniel Tugues, among others.

Illa recalled that water reserves are currently above 90% in Catalonia despite the heatwave: “We have water”. Nevertheless, he stressed the importance of inaugurating facilities like the new ETAP to "have water without depending on whether it rains or not", and recalled that, before the end of the year, two more facilities will be inaugurated that will allow – together with the one in Sant Feliu – 33 cubic hectometers of water to be added. He said that this figure represents 10% of the annual consumption of the metropolitan area and that they are an “important step forward for water autonomy”.

Anticipate droughts

The President of the Generalitat has also pointed out that this autonomy is achieved through water regeneration, the expansion of purification capacity, and desalination. On the other hand, he highlighted the collaboration between administrations and public-private collaboration in building this type of infrastructure. Brachlianoff emphasized that this ETAP shows the willingness of Catalan administrations to anticipate future droughts.

"I have seen many cases where, in a crisis, everyone panics and looks for solutions, but then the crisis passes and they forget about the solutions. That is not what has happened here," stated the CEO of Veolia.

The board has underlined the need to ensure the safety and well-being of the population, and that it is "impossible" to abandon water consumption, for which reason solutions must be sought to have an affordable supply. Balmón has highlighted public-private collaboration and has celebrated the union of efforts and knowledge so that water has more than one life: “Where the public muscle does not reach, up with the private muscle”.