The Portuguese government has announced a €120 million investment in a new desalination plant in Sines, Setúbal district, with construction set to begin in 2027 and completion expected by 2031. The project, led by Águas de Santo André (AdSA), part of the Águas de Portugal group, aims to address growing water demands driven by industrial expansion in the region.
The plant will be financed through a long-term industrial tariff and is designed to support both residential and industrial water needs, including hydrogen and green steel production in the Sines Industrial and Logistics Zone (ZILS). The Minister for Environment and Energy emphasized the area’s increasing water stress and the need for robust infrastructure to support high-demand zones and grid connectivity.
Initially, the desalination facility will be built on a smaller scale, with the flexibility to expand as demand grows. AdSA will manage freshwater, recycled water, saltwater for cooling, and desalinated water under a new regional water management model.
Negotiations are underway to repurpose infrastructure from the former coal-fired power plant for seawater intake. The specific desalination technology will be selected by technical experts, and the project will undergo a rigorous environmental licensing process.
The initiative is also expected to ease pressure on existing water sources along the Alentejo coast and complement upgrades to the Santa Clara dam and potential connections to the Alqueva reservoir.
(Source: The Portugal News)