Platform Demands Urgent Talks on Puerto de la Cruz Desalination Plant

The "Stop Discharges to the Sea Platform" is calling for an urgent meeting with Puerto de la Cruz's ruling parties (PP-ACP-CC). They want to discuss a planned desalination plant for the Punta Brava area, a project for which the City Council has already received a five-million euro grant from the Cabildo de Tenerife.

According to spokesperson Tania Hernández, the Platform has been trying to talk to the three-party government since March about this and other water-related issues in the town. However, they keep getting the same reply: "there is nothing new to report."

Hernández wants to clear up conflicting statements from different officials about the plant's environmental impact. For instance, Ángel Montañés, the director of Ecological Transition for the Canary Islands Government, told Gente Radio that "like all desalination plants, it will discharge brine into the sea where concentrations are suitable, to keep the environmental impact as low as possible."

But at the last council meeting on December 29, Pedro Antonio Campos, the Councilor for Public Procurement, Heritage, and Personnel Management, said something different. Responding to a question from the Socialist party, he stated three times that this plant, which is part of the overall water management plan, "will not discharge anything into the sea." He also reminded everyone that the full council had already voted in favour of it.

Campos further stressed that the company running the plant would be responsible for building it according to technical and environmental rules. He insisted again that it "will not discharge brine into the sea," adding that this point "has been debated, discussed, and presented three times."

He also noted that during water emergencies, like the one the island is still facing, it's crucial to ensure a secure water supply. This means finding alternative sources, such as this desalination plant. He described it as a simple plant using modern technology, capable of producing 2,800 cubic meters of water per day, and said it's not as large as plants planned for other towns like Tacoronte.

Hernández, however, argues that regardless of its specific features, any desalination plant produces brine. This salty waste harms marine life and changes coastal ecosystems. She also points out the high energy use, which will lead to higher water costs for residents.

Because of all these concerns, she is asking the government to finally meet and clear up these matters.