After an initial phase that was “particularly demanding” due to “design procedures, environmental assessment, licensing and other prior authorisations”, the project is currently “in a more significant material execution phase”, a source from the company responsible for the project told the Lusa news agency.

Work on all infrastructures

Work is underway on all land-based infrastructure and, since the beginning of September, on the system's maritime component as well, the same source said, estimating that the main construction and commissioning phase will run until the beginning of 2028.

Following this, the pre-start-up phase and the installation initialisation period are also planned, during which the system's performance and compliance with contractual guarantees will be verified, the company noted.

"According to the current schedule, this final phase should extend approximately until the beginning of 2029, culminating in the completion of the contractual process foreseen for this phase of the contract," the company estimated.

Distinction between works

Águas do Algarve said there is a distinction between the physical completion of the main construction works and the completion of the entire process of testing, commissioning, pre-start-up, and start-up of the installation.

Águas do Algarve highlighted that works associated with the various buildings that will be part of the structure have already been carried out, namely the onshore pipelines for raw water supply and brine discharge, and the seafront signage has been completed.

Construction of buildings

The project now continues with the construction of the various buildings that will make up the Algarve Seawater Desalination Plant (EDAM) site, the connecting pipelines, the degassing chamber, the pumping station and the dredging associated with the installation of the brine discharge pipeline into the sea.

“These interventions are taking place in parallel, according to the construction sequence and the updated schedule of the project,” Águas do Algarve emphasised, assuring that, to date, there have been no “significant delays” in the execution schedule nor “relevant constraints” due to a lack of manpower or materials.

The Albufeira EDAM is a project with “high technical complexity,” carried out with specialised equipment and materials and various components “to be executed simultaneously,” and is subject to continuous monitoring within the scope of project management, it argued.

Constraints experienced

The company acknowledged “constraints of an administrative, environmental and judicial nature that determined periods of suspension and adjustments to the planned schedule” throughout the works, but said all “were overcome” without causing delays.

At stake is an investment of over 50 million euros, which was initially to be financed by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), but which was rescheduled to "make the project execution schedule compatible with the deadlines of the different financing instruments," and will now be executed under the Portugal 2030 and Sustainable 2030 programs.

"The Algarve Water Treatment Plant (EDAM) is a strategic infrastructure for strengthening the region's water resilience, integrating a broader approach to diversifying water sources and reducing the vulnerability of public supply to prolonged periods of scarcity," explained Águas do Algarve.

The company also assured that it will continue to monitor the project's technical, environmental, and safety aspects until completion and will keep the community informed about progress to ensure "transparency and public information throughout the execution of this infrastructure."