Overview

• The Junta de Andalucía invested €8 million to expand Marbella’s desalination plant from 6 to 20 hectometres cubed per year.
• The upgraded facility now produces 20 hm³ annually, meeting roughly one-third of the Costa del Sol’s water demand.
• The Spanish Government designated the expansion as a obra de interés general but contributed no funding to the project.
• New pipeline connections enable transfers of desalinated water to Málaga and the Axarquía as needed for regional drought resilience.
• The overhaul is one element of a broader Andalusian strategy that has mobilised nearly €2 billion in water infrastructure investments since 2019.