Tenerife Launches €500 Million Plan to Revolutionize Water Reuse for Agriculture
Tenerife is investing €500 million to overhaul its water management system, aiming to boost wastewater regeneration capacity by 78% to secure a sustainable future for the island's agriculture.
Tenerife is reaching a turning point in how it manages water, according to Island Council President Rosa Dávila. The local government is shifting its strategy away from simply focusing on sanitation and waste disposal, moving instead toward a circular economy where treated wastewater is treated as a valuable resource for the island’s farmers.
This transformation is backed by a €500 million investment involving the Canary Islands government, the national government, and agencies like ACUAES and SEIASA. The goal is to significantly boost the island’s wastewater treatment capacity, rising from 52% in 2023 to 97% once new plants in the Metropolitan Area and the Arona-Este-San Miguel system are finished.
In practical terms, the island’s daily processing capacity will jump by 65%, from 92,700 to 152,700 cubic meters. Even more important for agriculture is the increase in water regeneration: the annual volume is set to rise by 78%, reaching 52 cubic hectometers—enough to fill 9,200 Olympic swimming pools. To achieve this, the island is upgrading its facilities, increasing the number of plants capable of regenerating water from three in 2023 to nine by 2026.
The success of this system relies on a complete logistics chain, from municipal collection to final distribution through irrigation networks. The water management entity, BALTEN, is already supplying more regenerated water than conventional water, making it a cornerstone of agricultural supply. While the use of treated water is already fully established in the northeast and the Adeje-Arona area, other regions like Abona-Granadilla, the West, and Isla Baja are still in various stages of planning or testing.
By integrating purification, regeneration, and reuse, the Island Council aims to do more than just protect the coastline from waste discharge. This plan is a long-term solution to water scarcity, turning the island’s infrastructure into a vital tool for supporting Tenerife’s agricultural future.