Projects already approved by the PRR allow Algarve Chambers to achieve targets for reducing water losses

The applications that the Algarve municipalities presented to the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) to reduce water waste in the urban sector, in the Algarve, are already sufficient to achieve the objective of reducing losses, in the urban circuit, by 10 cubic hectometers (hm3), until 2026, revealed Pedro Dominguinhos, president of the National PRR Monitoring Commission.

«At this moment, the competitions that are already taking place and the interventions that have already been awarded [ao nível dos municípios], allow us to say that the potential for achieving goals and milestones has been achieved. (…) What has already been approved in terms of candidacy allows us to achieve the goals to which, in this specific case, the various municipalities of the Algarve Intermunicipal Community (AMAL) have committed themselves”, said this person in charge, on the sidelines of another commission meeting monitoring session with PRR beneficiaries from the Algarve region, which took place last week at the headquarters of the Algarve Regional Coordination and Development Commission, in Faro.

«This means that, in this specific case and in the various municipalities, the application processes are ongoing, these investments are being made and the procedures are being launched», he added.

In total, the support line being managed by AMAL has a budget of 45 million euros, of which “around 40 million euros” have already been awarded.

This means that «there is some capacity here, if AMAL decides, to launch a third procedure, even to respond to some municipalities that did not have the opportunity to apply before».

At the moment, there are «more than 25 applications that have been approved and are in different stages», which, as a whole, aim to reduce losses by 10 cubic hectometers (hm3).

To do this, it is necessary to “make investments, replace ducts, improve efficiency and, above all, something that is particularly important, which is to install systems that allow us to measure in real time what is happening” and identify where there are losses .

Pedro Dominguinhos gives the example of a project he visited in Lagos, «where there is a replacement of ducts and an improvement in the telemetry management system for the entire Lagos City Council network, which allows, on the one hand, to have knowledge in real time of what is happening and, on the other, an intervention in terms of management also in real time».

«If a leak is detected, this entire process can be monitored immediately and automatically» and resolved.

“A set of so-called intelligent meters were also installed, which can anticipate and measure this entire process exactly and in real time.”

At the meeting, which was focused on water efficiency issues in the Algarve, an assessment was also made of the progress of projects under the responsibility of Águas do Algarve, a multi-municipal company that is “developing a set of procedures. Some are out for tender, others are practically completed and in others the procedures are being launched».

This lot contains two of the largest works.

«In the case of Pomarão, the entire environmental issue is under public consultation and it is expected that, in accordance with the procedures and after both Portugal and Spain, they will speak out – because Spain also has to be heard -, at the beginning of the second semester The construction competition can be launched in 2024», revealed Pedro Dominguinhos.

In the case of the desalination plant, «the design and construction competition has been launched and the Environmental Impact Statement is also practically being completed, which should be issued at the beginning of April. It is also expected that during this year the tender for the construction of the desalination plant will be launched, which is a particularly relevant asset».