Red Eléctrica de España has awarded Tedagua the contract for the construction of the Seawater Desalination Plant in Arguineguín for the pumping and storage of water for the Salto de Chira; a project that will commence once the required authorisations have been obtained. With a water production capacity of 7,800 cubic metres per day, the works for the desalination plant have a budget of approximately 20 million euros and a completion period of 26 months.

Tedagua is the subsidiary of the Cobra-ACS group, specialised in the design, construction and operation of water treatment plants, desalination being one of its main references as it has built or operates plants with a desalinated water production capacity of over 1,100,000 cubic metres per day. Founded in Gran Canaria in 1983, it currently has contracts on all five continents.

The tender for the construction works is fully compatible with the forthcoming Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), with specific clauses included in the contract award that allow modifications to be made to the desalination plant project, if necessary, depending on the requirements of the EIS.

In addition to producing the water needed to operate the Salto de Chira pumped-storage hydroelectric power station in three years, the desalination plant will enable any surplus water produced to be made available to the Island Water Council of the regional government of the Island of Gran Canaria.

The construction of the seawater desalination plant includes the seawater intake tank and the underwater outfall, specifically the intake pipe and discharge pipe, the seawater pumping station, the impulsion to the desalination plant, the product water tank and the first pumping station that will pump desalinated water up to the Soria dam.

The seawater desalination plant consists of a pre-treatment system, which entails a reverse osmosis process and the subsequent re-mineralisation of the permeate.

The final discharge system includes the installation of two 200 mm diameter outfall diffusers (Venturi). These Venturi diffusers (technology 100% designed in the Canary Islands) guarantee maximum dilution of the saline plume.

As an additional sustainability measure, the plant includes a self-consumption photovoltaic installation to provide it with pure renewable energy, which will be consumed by the plant for its auxiliary processes.