Canary Islands Desalination Hub

Water has always been key to understanding wealth in the Canary Islands. The management of water in the Canary Islands differs according to the island, with water resources conditional on the orography and the climate, and with a different demand according to population growth and the economic development of each island territory.  With an arid climate, the scarcity of natural water resources makes desalination the most feasible option to meet the water needs of the population. Therefore, Spain’s first desalination plant was built in Lanzarote 60 years ago. A multistage flash technology was installed in 1964 and the islands` desalination capacity has gradually increased to the current figure of more than 500.000 m3/day with more than 200 desalination plants in operation.

In this territory, desalination has been one of the few viable options for supplying water for irrigation. The Canary Islands Archipelago is the most concentrated desalination plants hub in the world. This area is a great laboratory and worldwide reference in the desalination industry. Specialized engineering, consulting, manufacturing and researcher centers add up to uncountless expertise in the design and operation of all the membrane desalination technologies.