Europe warns the Catalan government: more desalination plants, yes, but not at any price

BarcelonaThis week, the Catalan government (Generalitat) requested increased funding from the European Commission (EC) – through the Next Generation EU and ERDF funds – to boost the construction of three new desalination plants in Catalonia. The government conveyed its request to Claudia Olazábal, head of the EC's Sustainable Water Resources Management Unit, during a visit to Barcelona. The government justified the request by citing the need to bolster water availability and reduce dependence on rainfall after a historic drought. While this drought currently seems distant given the levels of water reserves in reservoirs and internal basins (92%), it led Catalonia to a critical situation in 2023. The Commission issued a warning to the Generalitat: more desalination plants are welcome, but only if they are part of a broader and more comprehensive plan for managing water supply and demand. And only if all other necessary steps are taken.

In fact, the European Commission is emphatic: before allocating resources to European regions to develop more of these water infrastructures, it demands that administrations implement "2.0" desalination plants; that is, plants that do not consume "so much" energy and that the brine is properly managed; in other words, the highly saline waste generated in the process, which must be returned to the sea in a controlled manner. For the European executive, in this transformation, governments must guarantee lower fossil fuel consumption with "very large" solar panel surfaces to power the machines. Furthermore, they must be very clear that these plants are not a permanent solution and cannot be constantly operating.

The Catalan government is requesting financial support to carry out three infrastructure projects it considers "strategic" for the country's water management in the coming years: the Tordera II, Foix, and Costa Brava desalination plants. The Tordera II (Blanes) and Foix (between Cunit and Cubelles) plants have already received approval from the Council of Ministers, but construction is still awaiting the Ministry for Ecological Transition's signature to begin work, with operations expected around 2029. The location of the Costa Brava plant has yet to be determined. The Catalan government asserts that the three infrastructure projects are part of a broader water transition strategy that seeks to "ensure stable resources" through what is known as "water production"—based on desalination and reclaimed water—as advocated by the EU. In this regard, they highlight the mobilization of €130 million in aid for more than 700 municipalities to modernize supply networks and reduce leaks—an action that will allow the recovery of up to 20 cubic hectometers of water per year. This aims to guarantee supply even in scenarios of prolonged drought, such as the one experienced for three years in Catalonia.

Intensive farming in Spain

While desalination plants may be among the viable solutions in case of emergency, the European Commission also highlights other priorities. The Water Action Plan for 2050 has three pillars: restoring and protecting the water cycle, promoting more efficient and intelligent use of water resources, and ensuring access to clean water for the entire population. This last point is crucial: approximately 22 million people in Europe still lack access to a drinking water network, especially in rural areas or among vulnerable groups or those with a nomadic lifestyle. In the fifty years since Europe has had water legislation, the Commission believes there has been excessive tolerance for surface water pollution, mainly caused by agriculture, industry, and the increasing impact of climate change, such as droughts and floods. In fact, currently, the biggest problem in Europe is not water availability, but water quality. According to the European Environment Agency (EEA), only 37 percent of surface waters are in very good ecological or chemical status, while 29 percent are in good status. The picture changes in the case of groundwater: 77 percent have acceptable levels (a slightly better percentage than a decade ago). The case of Spain illustrates some of the structural problems linked to water pollution. For example, the State has already been condemned for non-compliance with the nitrates directive due to high concentrations in groundwater and surface water resulting from the intensive use of chemical fertilizers and intensive livestock farming, especially manure. Poor management has also been highlighted in emblematic cases such as Doñana National Park due to the overexploitation of aquifers and intensive water extraction for agriculture. In the first case, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) held that Spain had not adequately identified nitrate-vulnerable zones, carried out insufficient monitoring, and allowed significant disparities between autonomous communities. In the second case, the CJEU held that Spain had not adopted sufficient or effective measures to prevent pressure on water resources or to adequately protect the Doñana ecosystems. European rulings compel the member state to rectify the situation, but a second procedure—which could result in sanctions, often in the form of daily fines—can only be initiated if the country repeatedly fails to comply.