Students of the Specialist Course in Desalination and Water Reuse, held annually thanks to the collaboration between AEDyR and the IUACA at the University of Alicante, have completed their academic training with technical visits to the Torrevieja desalination plant—one of the most important facilities of its kind in Europe, operated by Sacyr Agua—and the Alicante plant, among others.

This activity allowed students to gain first-hand insight into the real operation of large-scale desalination infrastructure, reinforcing the theoretical knowledge acquired in the classroom and bringing them closer to the current challenges of sustainable water management.

The program also featured the participation of two experts from Sacyr Agua, Domingo Zarzo and Mercedes Calzada, as instructors. They contributed their professional experience in the sector, enriching the students’ training with a practical and up-to-date perspective on technologies, operation, and management of desalination and water reuse plants.

This type of initiative strengthens the applied nature of the postgraduate program and its direct connection with the business sector, helping to ensure that future professionals are better prepared to face the challenges of the integrated water cycle.

The event brought together representatives from institutions and the water sector, including MITERD, EPSAR, Canal de Isabel II, the General Directorate for Water of Asturias, the UN Global Compact, Forética, AEDyR, ALADYR, EDS and Daquas, among other organizations.

A platform for dialogue towards more regenerative water management

The third edition of the event was structured as a forum for dialogue and collaboration between public authorities, companies, and experts, with the aim of advancing towards a Water Positive model that goes beyond sustainability to promote a net positive impact on water resources.

The event combined different formats: keynote speeches and presentations focused on the strategic role of water in the sustainable transition; panel discussions addressing challenges and solutions from institutional, industrial, and technological perspectives; and case studies and business experiences aimed at sharing best practices.

During the morning, the focus was on institutional and strategic topics, while the second part of the event centered on innovation and action, highlighting concrete solutions and applied experiences.

In this context, Patricia Terrero, as a member of the Water Positive Think Tank, delivered opening remarks alongside a colleague, emphasizing the need for a shift in approach—from minimizing impacts to generating value, resilience, and a positive and lasting impact in the water sector.

Sacyr’s participation

In the industrial-focused session, several companies shared their strategies for improving water efficiency. Participants included Amazon Web Services, Suntory, Holcim, Heineken, González Byass, PepsiCo, AstraZeneca, Mahou, and Schneider Electric, alongside water sector specialists such as Sacyr, Acideka, H2O Innovation, Ecolab, Amiad, Captoplastic, and Energy Recovery.

Representing Sacyr, Encarna Mateos presented the company’s approach to water footprint management and its sustainability targets. In addition, Domingo Zarzo, founding member of the Water Positive Think Tank, delivered the closing remarks, bringing the event to a close and reinforcing the sector’s commitment to more efficient, collaborative, and regenerative water management.

The modernization of water management services has become one of our top priorities. As demonstrated in our project in Melilla, through a Narrow Band (NB) technology, designed for the communication of Internet of Things devices (IoT), we will be able to digitise the collection of data in the provision of water services in this autonomous city.

The NB-IoT technology will enable us to establish a remote reading and segmentation service that will provide daily consumption information and data on urban water cycles including, among others, reverse flow, or internal leakage alarms.

By implementing this advanced remote reading system, the Melilla’s water system will benefit from a number of advantages. The important amount of automated data available allows an efficient administration and quality of the hydraulic system. This optimized balance between the current resources and the consumers’ demand to reach a more effective use of water, ultimately will result in a more sustainable energy consumption system. Moreover, this advanced technology will ensure the connectivity of elements in complex locations.

With this project, Sacyr Agua promotes the modernization and digitalisation of water services, enhancing a comprehensive remote water meter reading system.

Last Thursday, the event Collaborative Models in Hydraulic Infrastructure Contracts took place, bringing together experts and companies from the sector to analyze new forms of collaboration in the development of water projects.

In this context, Aurora Díaz de Espada, International Operations Director at Sacyr Agua, participated as a speaker in the panel dedicated to the Spanish experience in international hydraulic projects, one of the key sessions of the event.

During the presentation, Aurora introduced the PPP Alliance contract model in Australia, an innovative approach based on close collaboration between the client, contractors, and other project stakeholders. This type of model enables the alignment of incentives, risk sharing, and improved decision-making, ultimately enhancing the efficiency of large-scale water infrastructure projects.

Water availability has emerged as one of the main challenges to sustainable development in northern Chile. In this context, through our Sacyr Agua division, we are strengthening our contribution with innovative solutions that integrate reuse and desalination, moving toward efficient, long-term water resource management.

With a presence in more than 20 countries and approaching our 30th anniversary in Chile, we continue to consolidate our role in the development of strategic infrastructure through our three divisions: Sacyr Concesiones, Sacyr Ingeniería e Infraestructuras, and Sacyr Agua. Our participation in the 21st edition of Exponor reaffirms this commitment, positioning us as a key player in the country’s water security.

Through Sacyr Water, we have built more than 10 plants globally , including the Salar del Carmen Water Reuse Plant in the Antofagasta Region, which we developed in partnership with Econssa. This project, the largest of its kind in Latin America, will treat 900 liters per second of urban wastewater for use in the mining industry, helping to reduce wastewater discharge into the sea and alleviate pressure on aquifers, in line with a circular economy model.

In addition to this achievement , we have been awarded the contract for the country’s first desalination plant for human consumption, located in the Coquimbo Region. The project, with an initial capacity of 800 l/s expandable to 1,200 l/s, will supply more than 513,000 people in La Serena and Coquimbo, in addition to supporting the productive sector, establishing itself as a structural solution to water scarcity.

We continue to promote initiatives that strengthen water security, contribute to productive growth, and improve the quality of life for communities, with a long-term perspective and a focus on sustainability.

The congress covered key topics such as digitalization, sustainability, operational efficiency, water reuse and desalination, as well as climate change adaptation and the development of new technological solutions for water management.

Female Talent

Representing Sacyr, Mercedes Calzada, Patricia Terrero, and Irene Ochoa took part in the event. Their participation highlighted female talent and the growing role of women in the water sector, particularly in technical and innovation-driven fields.

All three professionals actively contributed to the technical program. Mercedes Calzada presented the paper “The Role of WSI in Water Footprint Assessment”, focusing on water stress as a key indicator of the consumption–availability nexus and highlighting the positive impact of desalination on measuring and managing the organization’s water footprint.

Irene Ochoa delivered the presentation “Performance Recovery in Beach Wells Using Sonic Action Combined with Air-Lift Technique”, addressing innovative solutions to improve efficiency in coastal intakes, with a focus on advanced techniques for flow recovery and the optimization of intake infrastructure.

Finally, Patricia Terrero presented “Advanced Quaternary Treatments for the Removal of Emerging Contaminants”, based on the results of the SOS Agua XXI project, which analyzes innovative solutions to improve treated water quality through advanced technologies aimed at the removal of emerging compounds.

In addition, Sacyr’s representation at the congress was completed by the attendance of General Manager Eduardo Campos, along with other colleagues including Ángel Bracho, Eva Jalón, Noé Meana, David García, Elena Campos, and Bernat Alcalde. Their participation helped reinforce the company’s presence at this key industry forum.

Sacyr Agua’s participation in DAQUAS strengthened its network of contacts and enabled the exchange of experiences in a collaborative environment aligned with the company’s commitment to innovation, sustainability, and excellence in water management.

We have participated with Sacyr Agua in this fair with a stand, together with our Algerian subsidiary Sacyr Lilmiyah.

In a meeting with the Algerian Minister of Water Resources, Lounès Bouzegza; together with our client the Algerian Desalination Company (ADC), Eduardo Campos, CEO of Sacyr Agua; Aurora Díaz de Espada, Director of International Operations of Sacyr Agua, and other personalities and managers; highlighted the prospects for development in the desalination of seawater.

At this fair we took the opportunity to highlight ourcutting-edge solutions in the sector, emphasizing that water is one of the great strategic challenges. As well as our commitment to innovation, efficiency and long-term commitment to developing sustainable infrastructures and strengthening alliances that contribute to guaranteeing access to water in areas with shortages, as is the case in Algeria.