Public Desire for Involvement in Desalination Discussions
Suspension of Algarve Desalination Plant's Public Consultation Due to Legal Non-Compliance
The public consultation for the RECAPE (Environmental Compliance Report of the Execution Project) of the Albufeira desalination plant, a response to the drought in southern Portugal, has been suspended by the Loulé Administrative Court [2][3]. The court order was issued due to non-compliance with national laws governing public participation and environmental assessments [1][3].
The Sustainable Water Platform (PAS), a coalition of 13 non-governmental organisations, has expressed strong concerns over the consultation process, stating it does not meet legal standards [3]. They argue that the process lacks transparency and adequacy, potentially raising questions about the project's environmental compliance and governance.
The PAS includes organisations such as A Rocha Portugal, Água é Vida, AlBio - Algarve Agroecological Association, Almargem - Association for the Defence of the Algarve's Cultural and Environmental Heritage, CIVIS - Association for the Deepening of Citizenship, Ecotopia - Environmental and Sustainable Development Association, FALA - Alentejo Coastal Environment Forum, Faro 1540 - Association for the Defence and Promotion of the Environmental and Cultural Heritage of Faro, Glocal Faro, the League for the Protection of Nature (LPN), the Association for the Barrocal Algarvio (Probaal), Quercus - National Association for Nature Conservation, the REGAR group, and ZERO - Sustainable Earth System Association [4].
The consultation was made available for analysis through the Participa Portal, but PAS claims that the documentation is disorganised, written in different languages (Portuguese, Spanish, and English), and presented haphazardly, with titles that do not clearly identify their content [3]. Furthermore, more than 400 documents were made available in a short period of just 14 business days (July 3rd to 23rd) [5].
The suspension of the consultation period is a significant development, reflecting the importance of upholding legal requirements and ensuring public participation in projects that could have significant environmental and social impacts. The project, overseen by Águas do Algarve, is expected to have an initial capacity of 16 cubic hectometres for converting seawater into potable water, with a base cost of 90 million euros [6].
As the case progresses, it is expected that the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the Aarhus Convention Committee will be involved, as PAS has decided to take the matter to European bodies [7]. The community in the Algarve remains engaged, eager to participate in the debate about the desalination plant's environmental and social impacts, reflecting concerns about sustainability and governance of water resources in the region.
- The suspension of the desalination plant's public consultation in Algarve, Portugal, has raised concerns in the realm of general news, as it questions the project's compliance with policy and legislation, particularly in areas of environmental science and policy.
- The Sustainable Water Platform (PAS) argues that the consultation process regarding the Albufeira desalination plant lacks transparency and adequacy, which may potentially impact the project's environmental compliance and governance, a matter of significant interest in the realm of news.
- The Algarve desalination plant, a response to the drought in southern Portugal, has been suspended due to legal non-compliance, specifically in adhering to national laws governing public participation and environmental assessments - a topic of discussion in science, politics, and business.
- The PAS, a coalition of 13 non-governmental organisations including A Rocha Portugal and Quercus - National Association for Nature Conservation, has expressed strong reservations about the current consultation process, citing issues with disorganized documentation, multiple languages, and short timelines - all of which are important factors in environmental-science debates and policy-and-legislation discussions.
- The desalination plant's suspension highlights the importance of upholding legal requirements and ensuring public participation in projects with potential environmental and social consequences, as the project moves forward, it may prompt involvement from bodies like the European Commission and the Aarhus Convention Committee, contributing to the ongoing discourse in both regional and international climate-change and environmental discussions.
