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CostaBlancaPeople 15th - 21st May 2018
Running out of salt It has been a busy year for the salt works in Torrevieja. So busy, that now it looks as though they will have to start topping up their reserves from other sources.
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roduction of salt decreased in the town following the torrential rains of 2016 which saw stocks dwindle. Now, at 500,000 tons, this is proving still not to be enough to satisfy the market.
Grupo Salins, the business that is in charge of mining the salt, has announced that it must prop up its stocks with salt from its works in Tunisia. It’s a move that is necessary to maintain a service for their usual customers. Additional demand over the winter, and into the spring, means that stock has gradually been depleted. It is the kind of market that is difficult to judge as it is so dependent upon the weather. Much of the salt from Torrevieja goes to securing the safety of roads during icy spells both in Spain and abroad. Some salt is used for culinary purposes but mostly for local markets. The quantity needed each year is variable and so forward planning can be problematic. This isn’t the first time that Torrevieja has had to borrow from abroad. In 2017 100,000 tons of salt was brought here to subsidise the town’s own stocks. This year, less will be needed and sources suggest that it could be around
21,000 tons that are required. The impact of the rains at the end of 2016 and beginning of 2017made a difference to the amount of salt available in the locality. The salt water was significantly diluted by the amount of fresh rain water that fell into the lakes. The process of extracting salt was also made more difficult because of the depth of water in the lake itself. Since then, production has largely been restored and any damage done has been mended. However, demand is still greater than supply and freighter ships will bring in the additional salt needed. In the coming weeks it is expected that three more ships will come and bring additional salt to the salinera. However, this salt cannot be loaded onto ships using the same methods as usual. The belt that can be seen between the two beaches of Los Naufragos and Acequion is the usual means of
transferring the salt as quickly as possible. However, the process is more difficult when the salt arrives on another ship. Lorries are used to transfer the salt from the ships to the salt plant where it is then transferred in the usual manner on the mechanised conveyor belt. In order to assist this process the Poinente pier has been closed and parking prohibited. Every attempt will be made to ensure that salt is not dropped onto the roads during this transfer process. Suzanne O’Connell
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