OdinS, in collaboration with Ocean Net, a leading company in environmental and oceanographic instruments, has achieved a new milestone in the protection of the marine environment by installing advanced sensors to control discharges in the desalination plants of San Pedro del Pinatar and Alicante. This collaboration, among other benefits, has made it possible to ensure that brine discharges remain within the established parameters so that they do not affect the environment of the adjacent maritime coast.
Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) and Discharge Authorisations (VAs) establish environmental protection measures that include the aspects to be monitored, the parameters to be assessed and the frequency with which controls must be carried out. This ensures the monitoring of key elements such as salinity, the temperature of the receiving medium and the good state of the marine ecosystem. In order to comply with the environmental regulations of the Alicante and San Pedro del Pinatar desalination plants, it was necessary to have devices for continuous monitoring of the salinity and temperature of the water, especially near the posidonia meadows. In this way, the dispersion and effects of the brine discharge could be anticipated, following the geographical control points established in the VAs, in addition to collecting data on the currents and tides in the affected areas. The collection of this data, together with the frequency of the controls, is part of the Environmental Surveillance Programmes, which are specific to each desalination plant. To ensure the correct monitoring of these parameters, automatic systems for continuous measurement of conductivity, temperature and marine currents were required. These systems had to be installed at the points designated by the AVs, with structures that anchor them to the seabed. In addition, it was essential to have advanced measurement stations to ensure that the data required by the DIAs and AVs were collected consistently and accurately. This joint effort reinforces the commitment of OdinS and Ocean Net to environmental protection, guaranteeing efficient and continuous monitoring that ensures the sustainability of the marine environment at both facilities.
