Every year, ACCIONA goes to great lengths to improve the lives of those in underserved areas. The WATER division specifically, works hard to design, fund and construct vital desalination projects and water scarcity solutions worldwide. WATER Sustainability Manager Mercedes Bengoechea Crespo discussed the company’s innovative strategies for providing global water equality, in a report by Imogen Ward.
Since its origins in 1997, ACCIONA has developed and maintained sustainable infrastructure across the globe. Thanks to this progress, ACCIONA WATER has the capacity to manage water for more than 100 million people in 30 countries. This impressive feat is achievable due to ACCIONA’s EBITDA of €323 million and its implementation of state-of-the-art reverse osmosis technology.
“ACCIONA carries out activities in the integral water cycle,” WATER Sustainability Manager Mercedes Bengoechea Crespo said, “not only in the production of safe drinking water, but also in the development of different tools to analyse and diagnose opportunities for regeneration. We evaluate all our projects with respect to local sustainable development goals, designing vital solutions that have a positive impact.”
While these projects often deploy renewable energy, there can be more value through efficiency. The expertise of the ACCIONA team brings extensive knowledge regarding the optimisation and effectiveness of processes. Not only in the energy aspect, where ACCIONA is a technological leader, but also in innovations that exponentially increase the company’s sustainable contribution, such as the recovery of critical materials or brines.
Life-changing projects
ACCIONA’s work in the Middle East has had a major impact. Shuqaiq 3 in Saudi Arabia is one of the largest desalination plants in the country, providing safe water
for 2 million people. As an industry leader in the technology, ACCIONA incorporated reverse osmosis technology to reduce the pressure on conventional water resources and promote the most water- and energyefficient option.
This project benefits the community in more ways than one: as part of its social outreach measures, ACCIONA’s Shuqaiq 3 is also providing training for local residents to solidify the development of industry professionals.
“This project, which offers one of the world’s most competitive rates for desalinated water,” Ms Bengoechea Crespo said, “is part of Saudi Arabia’s plans to transform and modernise its water industry – adapting and renovating all freshwater production facilities to international quality and efficiency standards.”
Of course, these efforts are not limited to Saudi Arabia; ACCIONA WATER is reaching
milestones in other countries too. The Ras Abu Fontas 3 was the first of its kind in Qatar, a country which previously used evaporation technology to desalinate water. Now serving an estimated 1.1 million people, this breakthrough plant is an excellent example of the company’s capabilities.
An ongoing development in Spain, lead by the I+D+I area, is the LIFE PRISTINE project (funded by the European Union as part of its goals for climate action). With an expected completion date of 2026, this project will reduce water contamination significantly.
“The aim is to develop an integrated solution to remove various water contaminants,” Ms Bengoechea Crespo said. “These substances are of growing concern due to their potential to effect environmental, human and ecological health. The presence of most of these substances is not yet regulated, which makes it increasingly
difficult to take adequate measures to protect human health. Therefore, with the LIFE PRISTINE project, we aim to remove 80% of these emerging contaminants.”
Sustainable local development
All ACCIONA projects are highly sustainable: from concept to production, the company goes to every effort to ensure it meets the rigorous requirements of its green financiers, both for the good of the project and for the planet more generally. Indeed. ACCIONA is a pioneer of sustainable financing.
The ISTP projects – which are currently in development – consist of three sewage treatment plants in Saudi Arabia. These will utilise typically wasted elements of the wastewater treatment process. ACCIONA successfully raised €450 million in green finances to fund these plants.
In 2020, with its sustainability goals in mind, the company opted for an adaption of its corporate model, creating an entire sustainability department to further improve the efficiency of all current and future projects. Under the new approach, the
ACCIONA strategy focuses on the global transformation through a regenerative infrastructure approach. The company thus promotes the development of a more sustainable society through a resilient and balanced portfolio.
As part of these objectives, ACCIONA repeatedly assesses social and environmental areas requiring improvement.
“ACCIONA is not only focused on achieving
water equality,” Ms Bengoechea Crespo said, “but we also have additional projects on the go. These focus specifically on the social and environmental gaps in the geographical locations of our infrastructures.”
The company works closely with key suppliers and partners to ensure the success of each and every project. To source this aid, ACCIONA has an in-house procurement department who develop these relationships.
“We have developed framework agreements with the purpose of focusing in on a few well-managed suppliers,” continued Ms Bengoechea Crespo. “In terms of innovation and sustainability, our suppliers, subcontractors and partners are the main source of new ideas and developments. We always aspire to share our knowledge with them, to give them the opportunity to successfully develop new solutions for our plants and services.”
Making a difference
Reducing social and environmental harm caused by economic activity is no longer sufficient to secure the long-term viability of businesses. Since 2021, ACCIONA has evolved its Social Impact Management Methodology. Going forward, the company aims to further develop this because it knows that the local context is key. “We want to go beyond minimising the negative impacts and enhancing the positive social aspects that our projects could influence,” Ms Bengoechea Crespo explained. “ACCIONA drives towards creating a positive impact through each project. We are currently designing high impact solutions, regenerative projects; which will contribute to improving the living conditions of the population and the environment close to our projects.”
“One example includes the development of a high-impact solution at our Atotonilco Wastewater Treatment Plant in the state of Hidalgo, Mexico. We found that there were high levels of unemployment and low training rates within the community. Seeing this as an opportunity to substantially improve quality of life, we began providing certified training that contributes to the generation of local and long-lasting jobs in the area. The training consists of six months of the oretical and
practical elements that will increase levels of specialisation and employability.”
Another important element of ACCIONA’s humanitarian work is the Foundation Acciona.org. Originally created in 2008, the organisation was implemented to provide communities with sustainable access to basic services, including energy, water and infrastructure. This focused particularly on underserved and vulnerable communities and is now providing for more than 50,000 people in Peru, Mexico and Panama, for example.
“We are currently working with the Foundation in Panama,” Ms Bengoechea Crespo explained, “where we are trying to start a project to further aid the communities who rely on our drinking water treatment plant of Ingeniero José G Rodríguez. We want to develop access to education for children under three, because schools in the area are sparse.
“Currently,” she concluded, “our priority is to help construct a nursery that facilitates education for young children – helping generate better physical, intellectual, affective and social development of the children, giving them greater autonomy in terms of food, hygiene, sleep and general well-being. It is my challenge to make this project come true.” n
