With an investment of 60.5 million euros, this infrastructure will provide 50,000 m3/day to the districts of la Marina Baixa and L'Alacantí. Rover Alcisa Construction, a Rover Alcisa Group company and a member of the joint venture formed by Rover Alcisa-Degremont-Acsa-Dragosub, is building the desalination of Mutxamel, an activity promoted by the State Water Mediterranean Basin Company ACUAMED, dependent of the Ministry of Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs, on March 2, 2007. Its aims are to provide a comprehensive solution to water needs, and solve the existing problems in the regions of L'Alacantí and Marina Baixa, where there is a limited availability of water resources and of poor quality. 

Mutxamel desalination plant, which represents an investment of 60.5 million, provides the necessary infrastructure to allow the extraction of the annual18.5 Hm3 of the Vinalopó aquifers to be reduced. These aquifers are exploited to supply the coastal municipalities by replacing these new resources obtained through desalination of seawater.

This infrastructure, along with performances under development by the Commonwealth of Canales del Taibilla, provides a definitive solution to supply the coastal municipalities of the district of Marina Baixa and L'Alacantí. The installation of seawater desalination (SWRO) is designed and built to have a nominal capacity of 50,000 cubic meters / day, and can be expanded up to 80,000 cubic meters / day in the future without having to modify their infrastructure.

The whole process requires energy for its operation and this work has been chosen to membrane technology for separation of salts through the RO system. The treatment of sea water by reverse osmosis, is that a saltwater solution pressure is separated from the dissolved elements to flow through a membrane, this need not supplying heat or phase change, but requires energy to give the necessary pressure to process feed water.

THE MAGNITUDE OF THE WORK, MARINE WORKS

After defining the needs of the work, its design and location, the civil work is divided into four additional steps in the process of desalination.

These activities include all work to be done in the maritime area, which extends from the collection of seawater (inmisario) and brine discharge (outfall) in his final driving below ground brine. These works encompass the work of supply of pipe, welding and placing of ballast, dredged from the layout of the mooring lines and marine controlled paths of the pipes above.

The entire project, far-reaching because of the large size of civil works, noted for its technical complexity and uniqueness in its execution. In that sense, we must underline the complexity of installing the pipes. The pipeline will rest on the seabed, are structured pipes made of high-density polyethylene (PE-100). The use of this material ensures a high structural strength and in turn provides flexibility in placement by the anchoring system controlled using floats.

The pipe and fittings are manufactured using extrusion technology helical mould according to the guidelines of DIN 16961. Regarding the intake pipe (inmisario) comprises a first stretch of land 128 m from the pitcher making up to level -1, continuing in the marine section 487 m to connect to the intake tower to be placed at a depth -8. The total length of the intake pipe is 615.20 m, made of pipe high-density polyethylene (PE100) nominal diameter 1,800 mm.

In relation to the installation of the pipe discharge (outfall brine), it has a transition ground 110 m from the line of polyester reinforced fibreglass (driving inland brine), gets into the sea 328 m. At the far end of the discharge pipe, will fit a particular piece T-shaped, which will be born two sections of broadcasters, that would project the brine to its initial environment.

The total length of the outfall pipe is 428 m, made of pipe high density polyethylene (PE100) nominal diameter of 1200 mm. Another of the maritime activities to emphasize, are the weights, pieces of concrete, which are coupled the pipe and give weight to the stretch, making it easier to collapse and preventing them from moving once submerged and resting on the seabed until they are finally covered. Therefore, the weighting ensures that the pipeline construction phase is stable to the action of waves on the ocean floor. The weights are of circular size, reinforced on its base.

INSTALlATION OF THE  DESALINATION OF SEA WATER

The I.D.A.M is an industrial complex made up of different buildings in which the different electromechanical teams that develop the extraction process of salts in seawater are located. They manage to get the required parameters for drinking water.

This complex includes several buildings:

One designed to open filters and the arrival of seawater to the plant.

A building for the washing, wastewater collection, pumping, and engine room.

A building for civil works for closed filters, as well as performances, also of civil works for storing and dispensing reagents pre-and post-treatment.

The construction of the building for Reverse Osmosis process.

The room used for switchboards.

The deposit of displacement and a treated water tank and a pump building.

The reagent-treatment works and effluent treatment.

The control building, workshop and warehouse.

It should be emphasized too that within each building we can find the teams that step by step remove salt from seawater until the water qualities are perfect for later use by the people of the region.