Our Santa Cruz de Tenerife desalination plant (Canary Islands),which came on line in 2001, has recently been expanded and renovated to accommodate the majority of Santa Cruz’s population. The increased production has made it possible to supply 24,000 more households.
The expansion of the desalination plant is part of an existing investment agreement between the Santa Cruz City Council and Sacyr, EMMASA’s main shareholder (94.65%).
Today,thanks to the expansion, 28,800 m3 of water are desalinated every day (vs. 21,000 m3 previously), boosting EDAM’s capacity by 37%. This means that 62% of the water consumed in the capital city is desalinated, which translates into many benefits for both the municipality of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and for the island.
More efficient and sustainable
“In addition to increasing production, Sacyr’s renovation includes technological innovations that make it possible to boost the facility’s energy efficiency and prevent the release of two million kg of CO2 into the atmosphere each year, an emissions level equivalent to that of 1,700+ new vehicles/year,” explains Paula Soriano, manager of Empresa Mixta de Aguas de Santa Cruz de Tenerife (EMMASA), the company that manages the Santa Cruz de Tenerife desalination plant.
We have also increased the conversion rate, meaning we reduced the amount of seawater needed to obtain the same quantity of drinking water by 7,300 m3/day, the volume of nearly four Olympic swimming pools daily.
“In the islands, because droughts tend to be much more concerning than on the Peninsula, desalination plants play a very important role in ensuring water supply for human consumption and agricultural use,” says Paula Soriano, manager of Empresa Mixta de Aguas de Santa Cruz de Tenerife (EMMASA), the company that manages the Santa Cruz de Tenerife desalination plant.
Greater supply guarantee
Before the Santa Cruz de Tenerife desalination plant was commissioned in 2001, the city sourced all of its water from galleries and wells, most of which were private. Today, EMMASA aims to minimize dependency on these resources as much as possible and is committed to enhancing its own potential to ensure greater supply.
Most of the water that the city receives, approximately 70%, comes from its own water resources. Specifically, 62% comes from the desalination plant and 8% from its own galleries and wells. The remaining 30% comes from private suppliers, mainly from galleries and wells located in different areas of the island.