In Alt Empordà, the Ter-Llobregat Water Supply Agency (ATL) has started the process to choose a site for a future Muga desalination plant. The project is meant to strengthen water supply in an area often affected by drought and dependent on the Darnius-Boadella reservoir and the Fluvià-Muga aquifer.
ATL has awarded a €1,051,433.30 contract, excluding VAT, to the joint venture TYPSA Tecnoambiente. The 32-month study will compare possible sites, prepare a basic project and assess environmental impact. It will also examine seawater intake, links to the existing network and the return of brine to the sea.
The planned plant is designed to produce 15 cubic hectometres, or hm³, of water a year. Delivery points are planned for the Empuriabrava and Figueres drinking water treatment plants, placing the Alt Empordà area at the centre of the scheme.
The Muga plant would be the third desalination facility in Girona province and part of Catalonia's wider water infrastructure. At present, the operational plants are El Prat de Llobregat, with 60 hm³ a year, and La Tordera in Blanes, with 20 hm³ a year. The Catalan government and the Catalan Water Agency (ACA) also include La Tordera 2, planned for 2029 with 60 hm³, and Foix, also planned for 2029 with 20 hm³ expandable to 30 hm³.
La Tordera in Blanes offers a reference point for the new study. It uses reverse osmosis to turn seawater into drinking water and supplies coastal municipalities in La Selva, including Blanes, Lloret de Mar and Tossa de Mar, as well as northern Maresme and the Ter water treatment plant, from where water can enter the ATL network. It began with a capacity of 10 hm³ a year, then expanded to 20 hm³ after the droughts of 2007 and 2008.
The new study will also look at land needs, access, electrical connections, raw water quality, urban planning fit, seabed conditions, coastal dynamics, natural areas and geotechnical factors. Four bids were submitted for the tender. SENER Mobility was disqualified after failing to justify an abnormally low offer and later withdrew. TYPSA Tecnoambiente scored highest with 89.63 points, followed by Ayesa Enginyeria i Serveis with 86.14 points, and UTE Aquatec, Enghydra, WSP with 78.85 points. For more Catalonia-wide public service coverage, see News.
