At Sacyr we have a water management strategy that promotes sustainable practices that take into account the availability of this resource, its quality, and the balance of the corresponding ecosystems. Our Sustainable Sacyr Plan entails reducing our water footprint at least 10% by 2025, through decreasing consumption and supporting efficient processes.
In addition, all activities must comply with the values detailed in our Quality, Environment and Energy Policy, which establishes the need for the responsible use and management of natural resources, as well as the protection of water resources as one of our values.
Our professionals are also involved in our efforts to continually improve and develop internal initiatives that help us—for example—find ways to streamline the reuse of water. As a result, we managed to increase the use of recycled water within the company by 21.74% in 2020.
Innovative solutions that respect the environment
Not far from La Cadellada wastewater treatment plant (operated by Sacyr Water Concessions since 2020) is the Batuco Wetland, one of the most important in Chile. In an effort to contribute to the wetland’s water balance and the sector’s biodiversity, we began provisionally discharging treated water into the Estero Sin Nombre (Unnamed Estuary), which feeds into the wetland, in accordance with the project’s Environmental Quality Resolution.
At several of our desalination plants, including Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Alicante I and II, and Cuevas de Almazora (Spain), we have implemented numerous technological and reuse upgrades that have not only increased energy efficiency, but have also boosted the efficiency of the entire plant. In many cases, this translates into a significant reduction in the seawater required to obtain the same amount of drinking water.
Moreover, many facilities are powered by renewable energies—such as the Águilas and Binningup desalination plants, in Spain and in Australia, respectively—in an exemplary display of sustainability.
Southern Seawater Desalination Plant (Binningup, Australia)
Sacyr Water Concessions has carried out several projects aimed at improving the sustainability of water treatment processes, including the reuse of reverse osmosis membranes (LIFE Transfomem), nitrogen recovery in wastewater (Denitox project), agricultural runoff recovery and sustainable water desalination for farming (LIFE Deseacrop), water treatment for crop irrigation (LIFE ETAD), etc.
