Drought in Sicily: first mobile desalination units delivered

The first of the three mobile desalination units planned for the sites at Porto Empedocle (Agrigento), Gela (Caltanissetta) and Trapani have been delivered. This was announced by the Sicilian Regional Government, the Regional and National Commissioner for Water Scarcity, Siciliacque and Acciona Agua, the company that manufactured them. The first 18 containers have already arrived in Porto Empedocle and Gela, whilst delivery of the modules for Trapani is scheduled for 18 June. The three desalination plants will subsequently be supplemented by the refurbishment of the permanent plant at Porto Empedocle.

The overall works were funded by the Region to the tune of 100 million euros and also include onshore and offshore connection works. Coordination of the activities was entrusted to Commissioner Nicola Dell’Acqua, at the Region’s request. The mobile desalination plants will each produce 96 litres of water per second, using reverse osmosis technology and advanced filters.

Siciliacque, a company in which Italgas (75 per cent) and the Sicilian Regional Government (25 per cent) hold stakes, and which is responsible for implementing the desalination plant project, is finalising the preparatory work required to accommodate the plants, the installation of pipes connecting to the water network and other works related to the operation of the equipment. At the same time, in its capacity as the operator of the cross-basin water service, it is pursuing a major multi-year investment plan worth over €250 million to improve the resilience of the region’s major water trunk networks.

According to Renato Schifani, President of the Sicilian Region, ‘the delivery in record time is the result of a deliberate political and administrative decision by the Region: we have allocated the necessary resources and decided to rely on the National Commissioner’s Office and Siciliacque to ensure speed, efficiency and transparency. It is a concrete response to an unprecedented emergency, which we are tackling with a strategic vision. However, I want to be clear: these facilities are not the only solution. They form part of a wider plan that the Region has already launched, involving over 200 projects on wells, springs, pumping stations, aqueducts and water networks, representing a total investment of over 100 million euros’.

Stefano Mereu, CEO of Siciliacque, added: “The desalination plants form part of a wider plan that also includes the development of new water sources and interconnections, new sections of water mains, and extraordinary maintenance and replacement work on existing sections, starting with Ancipa, Blufi, Garcia and Fanaco, the digitisation of the entire network and plant system, and the refurbishment of treatment plants to improve energy efficiency. The restructuring of Siciliacque’s shareholding structure, which took place at the end of 2023 with the entry of Italgas, has enabled the development of a new growth strategy based on a systems-based approach and the introduction of innovative technologies.”