Water has left its mark on the progress of humanity throughout history. Great civilizations have always shown great interest in this resource.; not only because it is essential for life, but also because of its economic and social importance. In fact, the ancient Egyptians divided their calendar into three great seasons: the flood, sowing, and harvest. The Nile was so important in their culture that the entire society articulated around the river’s floodplains.
Thousands of years after Egyptian civilization flourished in the desert, water management and the challenges of this precious vital resource are increasingly on the public agenda. this PERIÓDICO DE ESPAÑA from the Prensa Ibérica group held a meeting at Espacio BertelsmannIn Madrid, to talk about the challenges facing the industry and the virtues of water management, supply and sanitation in Spain.
Our country has a very valuable industrial infrastructure in the international arena. “Spain is at the forefront of water and circular economy projects; We are Europe’s pioneer in innovation,” said María Ángeles Serrano, vice president of the Spanish Platform for Water Technology (PTEA). Joaquín Pérez Novo, Agbar’s Senior Water Business Development Director, said: Ability to bring industry knowledge to the rest of the world: “With our development, we have succeeded in exporting the technology to other continents, especially Latin America. We are also a leading brand in management and infrastructure. It’s a source of pride.”
José Carlos Díez, director of the Water Economics Forum, engineers Spain they are on “permanent Erasmus” to teach water industry technology. In 40 years, this country has become the world leader in the management of this resource out of thirst.”
Although the development of the industry in Spain has shown great resistance, experts warned that the country may also carry great risks. “Sustainability encompasses three dimensions: economy, society and environment. We are at a crossroads where the economy has a very strong weight and needs to be balanced to protect the other two,” said Fernando Morcillo, president of the Spanish Association for Water Supply and Sanitation (AEAS). The expert issued a warning: “We have good water services, both in terms of supply and sanitation, but I am worried about what future we will leave for future generations.”
Díez pointed out that the lack of investment by Administrations has weighed on the sector since the outbreak of the financial crisis: “There has been a disproportionate cut of more than 70% since 2010. For twelve years we have been lost; “We can’t lose another ten years,” he said. Experts emphasized that public-private cooperation is critical in a strategic economic and social area with public interest and strong state intervention. “Spanish companies have extensive experience developing public-private projects in various locations such as North America or Australia,” Morcillo said. The AEAS president believes that this knowledge should be transferred to the internal market: “we must add all the opportunities that arise: the public sector, European funds, but especially the promotion of public-private cooperation”.
hydric part
The Government’s Plan for Recovery, Transformation and Resilience has been articulated in different strategic projects called PERTE. In the case of the water industry, to digitize the water cycle, PERTE planned to mobilize 3,060 million euros and enable the creation of around 3,500 jobs. “The program has a very important feature because it is the first call that clearly states that aid to both public and private organizations is not considered aid to the state because it is local. Joaquín Pérez Novo adds digitization of water data and public-private collaboration, adding to the service itself and the assets at all times remain the property of the Public Administration,” said Joaquín Pérez Novo. this State It foresees a direct investment of 1,700 million Euros and an additional mobilization package of 1,120 million Euros. based on public-private cooperation. “It is a criterion that should be heavy and should spread to other PERTE and call for help in different areas; It is a collaboration between public and private actors in the provision and execution of funds.”
The government’s plan envisions the digitization of the entire industry, which highlights the importance of technological transformation in the field of water management. According to the Agbar expert, there are three main points in the technological transformation of the industry: integrated information, cost optimization and accountability to society. In the first we will deal with climate change because we will better understand extreme events so we can prepare ourselves. In addition, digitization will allow centralized operation and maintenance, and will justify and inform society about what we are doing,” explained Pérez Novo.
Morcillo thinks that the accountability that digitalization allows is key to the future of this resource in Spain:We often represent water as a circular drop, but in reality it is polyhedral.. It has many edges and many vertices. The need to value citizens and authorities therefore needs to be communicated; is a fundamental and universal primary good”.
climate change
The painting focused some of its messages on the current and future challenges that water management will face in the coming decades, marked by climate change. “The two main problems of water in the future are its scarcity, 25% less contribution and 30% increase in flood risk. Due to extreme phenomena like DANA,” Pérez Novo predicted. “Spain faces a serious threat: to guarantee water security. Therefore, digitization will play an important role”, Agbar expert José Carlos Díez added. He warned of the risk posed by a sharp decline between 30 and more frequent adverse weather events that hinder the safe collection of water: “When there are fewer resources, they need to be managed more efficiently”.
“Innovation is the key to the present and the future. We are reviewing the R&D strategy because the next action plans are in line with the circular economy and ecological transition,” Serrano explained. Unlike what has been seen in recent years in terms of insufficient investment, the expert There is increased support from the Administration in the field of sustainability. “There is now a political will to mobilize funds in innovation,” he said. The PTEA vice president also pointed out that water is the nexus of many of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as having one of their own, leading European policies towards the 2030 horizon proposed by the United Nations. “Water has an important role to play in the Green Deal,” the nations said.
Fernando Morcillo, the pursuit of more sustainability The sector requires that water be on the political agenda of citizens and society.. “An agreement is needed so that it is not used as a means of struggle and is seen as a vital asset that makes citizens realize what it means to turn on the tap and give water,” he said.
circular economy
The main strategy for mitigating climate change is to transform our socioeconomic model into a new system that integrates ecological transition. When it comes to water management, The circular economy and decarbonisation have become a critical goal for the industry to move forward. Reusing water resources and optimizing their management are the main issues that the panel of experts identified as their future goals. “When we talk about the circular economy, we should focus on three verticals: energy, reuse and waste,” stressed Joaquín Pérez Novo.
Water is a critical element for energy transition. The installed power in hydraulic production technologies in Spain is 17,000 MW, representing 15% of the entire system., according to data from Red Eléctrica Española. “Some water networks install micro turbines for electricity generation to take advantage of the energy used by a valve to reduce pressure,” Morcillo said. “Energy and water are interconnected, and so we make use of waterfalls as in treatment plants to place turbines and produce biogas in our treatment plants to extract self-sufficient energy from the water cycle,” says Pérez Novo. .
Speakers spoke of the enormous importance of reusing water cycles. 15% of the water consumed in Spain is recycled.. “Optimization in consumption is very high. In agriculture, 30-40% less water is consumed per hectare than Israel,” he said. The director of the Water Economics Forum pointed out that spending efficiency in Spain is higher than in Israel, a country with a strong water industry famous for managing this valuable resource.
Regarding biogas, it joins the horizon of circular economy and decarbonisation through the Biogas Roadmap, which aims to combine the production of renewable energy with the production of agriculturally usable biosolids from waste, in which water treatment plants will play an important role. “The roadmap aims to produce more than ten TWh of biogas per year and this target will certainly increase substantially.. We currently produce about three TWh of biogas per year in Spain, of which one TWh comes from water”, noted Pérez Novo.