Located in the Region of Murcia and operated by ACUAMED, it is a strategic infrastructure facility ensuring water supply for Murcia and southeast Spain. The complex provides desalinated water for irrigation, industry, and urban consumption, reducing pressure on aquifers and strengthening water security in one of Europe’s most important agricultural hubs.

Currently, the plant produces approximately 60 hm³/year of desalinated water using high-efficiency reverse osmosis technology. Its main beneficiaries are irrigation users in Valle del Guadalentín, Campo de Lorca, Mazarrón, Puerto Lumbreras, Águilas and other strategic agricultural areas in the Region of Murcia.

In recent years, the plant has been optimized to improve energy efficiency, enhance operational reliability, and reduce the cost per cubic meter produced.

1. Capacity increase from 60 → 70 hm³/year

ACUAMED will increase production capacity by an additional 10 hm³ with the following objectives:

• Strengthen water security for municipalities in the Guadalentín Valley.

• Reduce extraction from overexploited groundwater sources.

• Meet rising demand from intensive, export-oriented agriculture in the region.

2. Independent preliminary project of 50 hm³/year

In addition to the expansion of the current plant, the Ministry for Ecological Transition and ACUAMED are developing a new preliminary project for an independent desalination plant with a capacity of 50 hm³/year, designed to:

• Secure supply for underserved municipalities: Águilas, Lorca, Puerto Lumbreras, Totana, Alhama, and Mazarrón.

• Extend coverage to agricultural areas with chronic water deficits.

• Reduce pressure on critically stressed aquifers.

This new project:

• Is in the early planning (pre-project) phase.

• Forms part of the national plan for new desalination plants in Murcia (Águilas and Torrevieja).

• Aligns with the Segura River Basin Hydrological Plan 2022–2027, which calls for increased desalination production for agricultural and urban uses.

Join senior executives, technical directors, and leading experts for this exclusive Technical Visit to the Águilas-Guadalentín Desalination Plant (ACUAMED). Connect directly with the minds behind strategic infrastructure projects and dive deep into the latest desalination and water management technologies. Forge valuable connections and gain firsthand insights at the forefront of sustainable water solutions.