Public funding for desalination plants

摘要

Spain's ambitious desalination program is picking up speed with three more plants being put out to tender this month. But of more significance is the tender model, designed by the environment ministry with the aid of private sector water treatment experts: unlike other projects such as highway toll construction, the financing of the twenty or so desalination plants under the government's Program AGUA will be entirely public and paid for by public company Acuamed, European Union funds, and the government-set tariff paid by final users.