The world faces an unavoidable challenge: by 2030, humanity will face a global water deficit of 40%, equivalent to losing every year the volume of water consumed by more than 400 million households. Climate change intensifies droughts, accelerates desertification, and multiplies water conflicts, jeopardizing not only environmental sustainability but also economic and social stability. In the Guadiaro River basin and the Sotogrande coastline, this scenario translates into overexploited aquifers, saline intrusion, and tensions between tourism, agriculture, and local communities.
The Sotogrande reverse osmosis plant emerges as a transformative response. Its central purpose is to increase the operational efficiency of the reverse osmosis system through the intelligent dosing of AWC chemicals, optimizing pretreatment and reducing cleaning frequency. This means fewer technical stoppages, greater stability in water production, and more competitive operations. Each cubic meter produced not only substitutes for groundwater extraction and relieves pressure on ecosystems but also represents concrete savings of up to 30% in chemicals and 10% in energy, extending membrane life and lowering operating costs.
In a market like Spain, marked by recurrent droughts and a Costa del Sol under enormous water pressure from tourism and urbanization, desalination is a strategic solution, but it must increase efficiency to be truly sustainable. In this context, the strategic objective of the project is to transform plant operations, boosting performance, reducing costs, and ensuring reliable supply. Its location in Sotogrande, San Roque municipality, Cádiz, makes it a critical point to demonstrate how chemical innovation applied to osmosis can change the water future of an entire region. The project’s raison d’être is clear: aquifer overexploitation and saline intrusion make it essential to replace extractions with optimized desalinated water.
The development involves multiple actors: the local plant operator, AWC as technology provider, Andalusian water authorities, the local community, and external verification entities. All are aligned with a shared vision of sustainability. The project is linked to Water Positive, meeting the principles of additionality (providing real benefits by reducing extractions), traceability (digital and operational monitoring of achieved savings), and intentionality (investment explicitly directed toward improving sustainability and efficiency).
Beyond operational efficiency, this project represents a paradigm shift: it turns plant operations into a replicable innovation example, demonstrating how technology can transform regional water security and generate positive impacts on both the economy and social trust. Integrated into the Water Positive roadmap, it ensures that benefits are measurable, verifiable, and globally communicable. It also strengthens Sotogrande’s reputation and competitiveness as an international benchmark for sustainable tourism and constitutes a model exportable to other Mediterranean basins under water stress.
The current situation shows a critical dependence on coastal aquifers, which are overexploited and at risk from saline intrusion. The challenge is to guarantee safe water without further pressuring these resources. The technical and strategic opportunity arises from optimizing an already installed infrastructure: increasing the efficiency of the reverse osmosis plant through advanced dosing of AWC chemicals. This innovation reduces fouling and scaling on membranes, increases water recovery, and decreases energy and chemical consumption.
In terms of volume, the plant can transform several million cubic meters annually, where each cubic meter is equivalent to the daily consumption of several local households. This means not only reliable supply but also the protection of a vulnerable ecosystem. Direct and immediate benefits include reduced emissions associated with lower chemical and energy use, the regeneration of quality water, and the substitution of more polluting inputs with advanced, traceable formulations.
The project also addresses current technical problems: efficiency losses, low membrane performance, increased operating costs, and environmental risks linked to brine discharge and aquifer pressure. The causes that exacerbate this situation are operational (frequent cleanings, short membrane cycles), structural (historical dependence on aquifers), and regulatory (stricter European Union requirements on water and energy sustainability).
The solution is possible thanks to the commitment of the plant operator, AWC’s technological contribution, and the support of water authorities and external verifiers. It is replicable because it combines existing infrastructure with process innovation, and it is crucial to act now to reduce aquifer pressure and comply with new regulatory requirements.
This type of initiative can be led by water, energy, tourism, or industrial companies with ambitious sustainability goals. By doing so, they gain tangible competitive advantages: ESG compliance, international visibility, market differentiation, and alignment with increasingly strict European regulations. Thus, operational efficiency becomes a driver of transformation with economic, reputational, and environmental returns in the short term (savings and performance improvements), medium term (water resilience and social license to operate), and long term (a replicable model that ensures competitiveness and sustainability).
The solution is embodied in the integration of an advanced AWC chemical dosing system in the Sotogrande reverse osmosis plant. This technology precisely adjusts water pretreatment, preventing premature fouling and salt deposits on membranes. The result is a significant reduction in cleaning frequency, an extension of more than 30% in membrane lifespan, and a notable improvement in water recovery. These advances translate directly into operational savings and greater production stability.
The benefits are not limited to operations: by reducing the use of conventional chemicals, the project contributes to substituting polluting inputs with lower environmental impact formulations. Likewise, energy consumption reduction, estimated at 5 to 10%, results in fewer greenhouse gas emissions. Environmental risks, such as brine impact, will be mitigated through next-generation submarine diffusers, while operational risks will be controlled with IoT-based predictive maintenance and safety protocols. At the same time, the progressive integration of renewable energy will enable the plant to advance toward a reduced carbon footprint.
Altogether, this solution addresses the technical problem of low performance and high current costs, provides resilience to operations, and reinforces community and investor confidence by demonstrating that it is possible to combine economic efficiency, environmental sustainability, and regulatory compliance in a replicable model for other water-stressed basins.
The project will follow a phased approach with clearly defined stages to ensure solid technical development and complete traceability. It begins with a diagnostic and design phase, establishing baseline references for water quantity and quality, current losses, and performance indicators. This phase includes CAPEX/OPEX definition and benefit allocation agreements, with an estimated duration of six months.
The second stage involves installing advanced AWC dosing systems and integrating them with the existing reverse osmosis processes. Control technologies such as flow meters, quality probes, and IoT sensors connected to a SCADA system will enable real-time monitoring. This stage is expected to take twelve months, including assembly, testing, and calibration.
Next comes commissioning and validation, including external audits, third-party verifications, and comparison of with-project versus without-project scenarios. During this approximately six-month period, KPIs such as energy consumption per m³, chemical doses applied, recovery rates, and water quality will be measured. Measurements will be carried out with online sensors and laboratory analysis, with monthly and quarterly frequency.
In the continuous operation phase, the system will run with quarterly preventive maintenance routines and corrective actions as needed, supported by AI-based fault prediction. Physical traceability is ensured from intake to distribution, while digital traceability is guaranteed through IoT, SCADA, and blockchain platforms to record performance data, alarms, and automatic reports.
Governance involves the plant’s technical operator, AWC as technology partner, regulatory authorities, and external verifiers, with well-defined roles for operation, monitoring, and validation. Finally, a continuous improvement system is established based on data feedback, technological upgrades, and periodic dosing adjustments. This ensures that project benefits, chemical and energy savings, increased water resilience, and reduced aquifer pressure, are maintained and scaled in the long term.
Technically, the project consists of the main intervention of optimizing the operation of the Sotogrande reverse osmosis plant through advanced dosing of AWC chemicals. This improvement is integrated into the pretreatment and membrane operation process, reducing fouling, extending membrane life, and ensuring continuous, more efficient production. The system includes diagnostic stages, installation of dosing equipment, control sensors, SCADA and IoT integration, and external validation protocols. The nominal capacity will allow production of X million m³/year of drinking water, substituting X hm³/year of aquifer extractions, in compliance with European, national, and international standards (Water Framework Directive, ISO 14001, WHO).
This solution is relevant because it addresses the overexploitation of aquifers and saline intrusion affecting the Guadiaro basin. Compared to the baseline of high chemical consumption, frequent cleanings, and greater risk of failure, the project delivers operational stability, input reduction, and water resilience. It is suitable in this context for combining technological innovation, environmental sustainability, and regulatory compliance.
Concrete results include a 30% reduction in chemical use, 5–10% energy savings, a 30%+ extension of membrane life, and an annual volume equivalent to the consumption of more than 100,000 people, ensuring stability for tourism and the local economy. It also improves treated water quality, reduces critical parameters, and generates additional benefits: fewer greenhouse gas emissions, wetland protection, and strengthened climate resilience.
Strategically, the project is integrated into the Water Positive roadmap, providing tangible ESG benefits such as social license to operate, enhanced reputation, competitive differentiation, and regulatory compliance. It connects with global commitments such as the SDGs, SBTi, and European reporting frameworks (ESRS E3).
The model is replicable in other Mediterranean basins, in reverse osmosis plants, and in tourism and industrial sectors under water stress. Its scalability relies on proven technical conditions, the growing need for efficiency, and alliances with operators, communities, and governments.
The final expected impact is to contribute to the basin’s water balance, reduce aquifer pressure, strengthen resilience to climate change, and generate positive social effects such as employment, health, and safe access to water. For investors, clients, and society, this project sends a clear message: it is possible to lead the transition toward a regenerative economy where every drop counts.
