Catalonia to have water shipped in from Valencia region due to severe drought

Catalan and Spanish authorities have agreed to ship water into the territory from the neighboring Valencian region, amid the severe drought situation that has been affecting Catalonia for years.

Spain will cover the costs of production of the desalinated water, while Catalonia will pay for it to be transported from Sagunt. 

Last week, Catalan authorities declared a drought emergency in the areas dependent on the Ter-Llobregat water system, which supplies water to three-quarters of the Catalan population.

The measure could be activated from June and would allow the transport of at least one ship per day, loaded with up to 20,000 cubic meters of water.

Spain's minister for ecological transition, Teresa Ribera, and Catalonia's minister for climate action, David Mascort, announced the agreement on Monday.

"Shipping in water is a one-off solution for strategic facilities that, during an emergency, we have to supply water to, because we don't have it," Mascort said.

Also announced were plans for the Foix desalination plant and the expansion of the Tordera plant, with both projects to be paid for with European funds and will be ready between 2028 and 2029.

The bilateral meeting between the politicians came just days after the Catalan government decreed a state of drought emergency in the areas supplied by the Ter-Llobregat water system, a measure affecting 202 municipalities including Barcelona and its metropolitan area, and in total almost 6 million people.

The Sagunt desalination plant is owned by the Spanish government, leading Ribera to make the request of the president of the Valencian region, Carlos Mazón, to transfer water to Catalonia. 

Mazón accepted the request out of "solidarity between regions" but asked for guarantees that a "priority and almost exclusive use" of the water would be made for drinking emergencies, and not for other uses such as irrigation. 

The minister explained that the desalination plant is operating at 10% of its capacity and, therefore, it is "underutilized" and the Spanish government wants to activate it because it is "in condition" to work to maximum capacity.

The Spanish Government and the Generalitat have not given details of the costs that the water transport plan will entail.