Portugal Leads in Marine Desalination with Large-Scale Water Infrastructure Initiative

Portugal is pioneering a significant innovation in water management by developing a large-scale marine desalination infrastructure to combat the climate crisis and chronic precipitation shortages. The project involves installing two enormous submerged intake pipes off the Atlantic coast, approximately two kilometres from land. These structures will continuously extract seawater, which will then be transported via submarine pipelines to an advanced onshore treatment plant.

Designed with minimal visual impact, the infrastructure remains largely hidden from residents and tourists, with pipeline systems buried or submerged on the seabed. A crucial aspect of the design is the incorporation of protective grille systems at the water intakes to prevent large debris from entering the system and to safeguard marine biodiversity. The extracted seawater undergoes rigorous desalination and filtration processes to produce safe drinking water.

The initial capacity of the plant is planned at 500 litres per second, translating to approximately 43.2 million litres of potable water daily or around 16 million cubic metres annually. The system is engineered for future expansion, with a potential increase to 750 litres per second, which would produce up to 64.8 million litres daily. This flexible approach ensures the project can adapt to climatic variations and increasing demand.

Financed with an investment of nearly 108 million euros through Portugals Recovery and Resilience Plan, the project is managed by Águas do Algarve under the Desalination System of the Algarve Region. Scheduled to become operational in 2028, it aims to be a vital strategic resource for the region. Nonetheless, environmental concerns linger, especially related to the disposal of brine, a salt-rich by-product of desalination.

To address this, a controlled submarine outfall has been incorporated to discharge brine safely into the ocean, and a multidisciplinary monitoring group has been established to oversee the process. This groundbreaking initiative exemplifies Portugals commitment to technological resilience and sustainable water management, paving the way for similar approaches across Europe.