Humanity faces an unavoidable challenge: more than 2 billion people live under chronic water stress and climate change is accelerating desertification in southern Europe. In Spain, the Levante Almeriense suffers from an annual water deficit of 50–70 hm³, equivalent to the consumption of 350,000 households, while desalination plants in the region operate at only 50–60% of their capacity. Water loss is not just a technical problem: it is a failure of vision that compromises food security, social stability, and ecosystems. In this context, every drop recovered becomes an act of resistance and hope, and projects like the optimization of the Cuevas del Almanzora plant represent a transformative opportunity to move from scarcity to regeneration.
The desalination market in Spain, despite its great potential, operates with low efficiency rates: of the more than 700 hm³ of installed capacity, a significant portion remains underutilized. In Almería, the agro-export and tourism sectors depend on fragile and costly sources, with overexploited aquifers and increasing saline intrusion. The optimization of the plant seeks to reverse this trend, transforming an underutilized infrastructure into a resilient and efficient water asset that provides additional volumes of water, reduces chemical consumption by a quarter, and significantly extends membrane life, strengthening the region’s water security while simultaneously reducing carbon emissions.
The Cuevas del Almanzora desalination plant, located in Villaricos, Almería and integrated into the Levante Almeriense network, is key to the basin’s balance. Its optimization is fully justified by the structural water deficit, aquifer vulnerability, and dependence on unstable transfers, as it ensures quality water while reducing pressure on natural resources. The project is led by the public operator, with American Water Chemicals as the technology provider, the Mancomunidad del Bajo Almanzora as the direct user, and the Segura River Basin Authority (CHS) as the basin authority and independent verifier, ensuring transparency and shared governance.
The initiative is framed within the Water Positive strategy and complies with the principles of additionality, by generating net regenerated water; traceability, thanks to IoT digital monitoring and SCADA systems that record flows and quality in real time; and intentionality, by being specifically designed to improve water security in one of the driest regions of Europe. Through the VWBA methodology, the impact will be measurable and auditable, offering companies and institutions a visionary model of water and climate leadership that transcends the technical to become a benchmark for resilience and regeneration.
The Cuevas del Almanzora desalination plant, currently limited to 1,150 m³/day compared to its design of 20 hm³/year, faces inefficiencies from fouling and scaling that reduce the recovery rate to 40% and raise energy consumption to 4 kWh/m³. This project implements antiscalants (AWC) and cleaners (AWC C) in the reverse osmosis (RO) system, raising production to 1,800 m³/day , enough to irrigate 2,000 additional hectares and supply 50,000 people , while reducing emissions by 500 tons of CO₂ per year thanks to a 15% improvement in energy efficiency. Located in the Almanzora riverbed, the hybrid gray-digital solution combines advanced chemicals with IoT sensors and the ongoing photovoltaic park, ensuring sustainability.
Located in the heart of Bajo Almanzora and reactivated in 2022 after a decade of inactivity, the plant represents a critical underutilized infrastructure. Although it already operates with reverse osmosis and can treat both Tajo-Segura transfer water and runoff from the Almanzora River, its performance is limited by outdated chemical protocols, fixed dosing of coagulants and antiscalants, and the absence of adaptive monitoring. This technical inefficiency translates into lower production, higher energy consumption, and shortened membrane life. The opportunity lies in implementing AWC’s high-performance chemical portfolio, combined with real-time digital control, to increase sustainable production, reduce chemical use by 25%, and decrease brine generation. Every additional cubic meter treated not only supplies households and services but also relieves pressure on an overexploited and salinized aquifer.
The tangible impact is reflected in 94,900 m³/year of additional quality water, enough to supply 25,000 people or irrigate more than 2,000 hectares of intensive crops, while reducing around 120 tons of CO₂ annually thanks to energy efficiency. The solution is made possible by Acuamed’s leadership as operator, AWC’s technological innovation, and shared governance with the Segura River Basin Authority, the Mesa del Agua de Almería, and the Mancomunidad del Bajo Almanzora, ensuring transparency and community commitment.
This model is replicable in basins such as Segura or Guadalquivir and demonstrates why urgent action is needed now: drought, regulatory pressure, and international competitiveness require turning water efficiency into a standard. The causes of the problem are linked to insufficient maintenance after the 2012 flood, obsolete infrastructure, and regulatory delays in hydrological plans. Agro-industrial, tourism, or service companies that join this solution not only meet their ESG goals and emerging regulations but also gain visibility, competitive differentiation, and a narrative of sustainable leadership aligned with the Water Positive strategy. In the short term, an immediate increase in production is expected; in the medium term, aquifer stabilization; and in the long term, a scalable standard for the entire Spanish desalination sector, where only 5% of water is currently reused.
Implementation is carried out in a phased scheme that ensures technical control, validation of results, and resilience against climate variability. The first stage corresponds to diagnosis, in which detailed analyses of fouling, scaling, and raw water quality are performed, along with evaluation of membrane integrity and energy efficiency. This process establishes a baseline operation of 1,150 m³/day and identifies specific vulnerabilities in intake and pretreatment.
The second stage focuses on the design and installation of the solutions, integrating AWC Aantiscalants and C cleaners into the reverse osmosis system. Dosing is automated through PLC and connected to IoT sensors capable of adjusting parameters in real time according to variations in turbidity or mineralization. This hybrid approach combines existing gray infrastructure with digital intelligence, ruling out higher CAPEX alternatives such as ceramic membranes or additional ultrafiltration due to their lower cost-benefit ratio and incompatibility with urgent regional deadlines. The projected operating capacity reaches 1,800 m³/day, equivalent to the consumption of more than 25,000 people or the irrigation of 2,000 hectares of crops.
The third stage is commissioning, which includes calibration of RO racks, stress tests with different water qualities, and validation of the VWBA monitoring system. During this period, predictive cleaning protocols are adjusted and performance indicators such as energy efficiency, SDI, ion rejection, and specific chemical consumption are validated.
Finally, the continuous operation stage includes periodic reviews, preventive and predictive maintenance, and integration with the ongoing photovoltaic park. Continuous improvement plans are applied and external audit mechanisms are established to certify the additionality and traceability of regenerated water volumes.
Identified risks include technological failures in dosing systems, hydrological variability in raw water quality, and possible social resistance due to water cost. To mitigate them, redundant pumping and sensor systems are incorporated, contingency plans for extreme events, and shared governance with CHS, the Mesa del Agua de Almería, and local communities. Long-term resilience is ensured by the ability to operate with multiple water sources, real-time adjustment flexibility, and clear protocols to prevent critical failures such as saline intrusion, contamination, or source scarcity.
The technical solution addresses an environmental and social problem: the low efficiency of desalination plants in a context of structural water stress. Its selection is justified by criteria of efficiency, cost-benefit, replicability, and compliance with European regulations. It is directly linked to the Water Positive strategy and the principles of VWBA: intentional by being designed for net benefit, additional by going beyond conventional operation, and traceable thanks to sensors, SCADA, and independent audits.
Expected benefits are quantifiable and diverse: about 94,900 m³/year of regenerated water, 25% reduction in chemicals, improved permeate quality with SDI <3, reduction of 120–500 tons of CO₂ per year, and 30% extension of membrane life. Environmental benefits include reduced pressure on aquifers, reduced brine, and lower diffuse pollution. Social benefits include greater food security, access to quality water, and job creation in operation and maintenance.
Regarding scalability, the model can be replicated in other Mediterranean basins such as Segura or Guadalquivir and in regions of North Africa and Latin America with salinization and water stress problems. Its competitiveness is based on a key indicator: lower marginal cost per cubic meter recovered compared to alternatives of building new plants. Conditions for scaling include political will, adaptive regulation, and access to green financing. Public-private, community, and technological partnerships are the foundation that facilitates the expansion of this model, capable of becoming a standard for optimizing underutilized desalination plants in highly water-stressed contexts. The solution combines advanced chemistry with digital control, low CAPEX, high operational return, and compatibility with existing infrastructure. More than 94,900 m³/year of additional water are expected to be generated, chemical consumption reduced by 25%, emissions decreased by 120 tCO₂/year, and membrane life extended by 30%.
Implementation will be carried out under a phased and adaptive scheme, designed to ensure technical control, external validation, and resilience to climate variability. The first stage corresponds to diagnosis and baseline establishment, planned for the first three months, where fouling, scaling, and raw water quality are evaluated, as well as energy efficiency and membrane condition. This initial process defines reference indicators and key vulnerabilities.
In the second stage, lasting four to six months, the design and installation of optimized systems are carried out. Here AWC Aantiscalants and C cleaners are integrated into the RO train, along with intelligent dosing equipment connected to IoT sensors and a SCADA platform. The selected technology , reverse osmosis optimized with advanced chemistry , was prioritized over higher CAPEX alternatives such as ceramic membranes, due to its better cost-benefit ratio and compatibility with urgent regional deadlines. The projected nominal capacity reaches 1,800 m³/day with an expected recovery rate of 85%.
The third stage corresponds to commissioning and validation, lasting three months, during which racks are calibrated, stress tests with different water qualities are carried out, and the VWBA monitoring system is validated. In this phase, predictive cleaning protocols are adjusted and performance indicators such as energy consumption, SDI, ion rejection, and chemical dosing efficiency are verified.
Finally, the fourth stage contemplates continuous operation, with quarterly reviews, monthly preventive maintenance, and data-driven predictive maintenance, as well as progressive integration with the ongoing photovoltaic park. The system incorporates real-time alarms for critical deviations and automatic reports with digital traceability via IoT and blockchain. External validation is ensured through independent audits and reports to CHS.
The actors involved include Acuamed as operator, AWC as technology provider, the Mancomunidad del Bajo Almanzora as direct user, and CHS as regulatory and verifying authority. Each entity assumes defined roles in operation, maintenance, monitoring, and validation, under shared governance agreements that establish rights and duties over the use of regenerated water.
Monitoring is carried out through a continuous system that records treated volumes, chemical and energy consumption, and permeate quality, always comparing the with-project scenario against the without-project scenario. Continuous improvement is ensured through real-time data feedback, periodic adjustments to operating protocols, and incorporation of technological updates. In this way, the permanence of benefits is guaranteed over time with a robust system of physical and digital traceability, backed by external verifications and participatory governance.
The project consists of the chemical and digital optimization of the reverse osmosis train of the Cuevas del Almanzora plant, directly intervening on a system critical to regional water security. The main intervention is the incorporation of improved pretreatment, adaptive dosing of advanced AWC antiscalants and coagulants, and integration of a continuous IoT-SCADA monitoring system. The process includes raw water intake, optimized filtration, intelligent chemical treatment, reverse osmosis with high-rejection membranes, and safe post-treatment, reaching a capacity of 1,800 m³/day and benefiting more than 25,000 direct users. It complies with Directive 98/83/EC on drinking water, Spanish supply regulations, and ISO 14001 and ISO 14046 standards on environmental management and water footprint.
This solution is relevant because it addresses the structural deficit of the Almanzora basin, the overexploitation of aquifers, and dependence on unstable transfers. Compared to the baseline situation , low efficiency, high energy consumption, and risk of failure , it provides a net increase of 94,900 m³/year, reduces chemical use by 25%, decreases emissions by 120 tCO₂, and extends membrane life by 30%. In addition to solving a technical challenge, it strengthens community and environmental resilience in one of the driest areas of Europe.
Expected results include an increase in the availability of drinking and irrigation water, a substantial improvement in resource quality , reduction of solids, coliforms, and salts , and additional environmental benefits such as reduced pressure on aquifers and lower brine generation. Social benefits include public health, food security, and job creation in operation and maintenance. In strategic and commercial terms, the initiative drives the Water Positive roadmap, provides tangible ESG compliance, reinforces the social license to operate, and aligns with international commitments such as SBTi Water, NPWI, SDGs, and European ESRS E3 regulations.
The model is replicable and scalable in other Mediterranean, North African, and Latin American basins with similar conditions of water stress and salinization, provided there are enabling regulatory frameworks and public-private partnerships. Its final impact is multiple: hydrological, by improving the balance in a critical basin; social, by ensuring safe water for thousands of people and strengthening communities; and strategic, by demonstrating that the water transition does not require only megaprojects, but also the intelligent and replicable optimization of existing infrastructure.
