A €42 million second phase of the wastewater treatment-plant expansion at Punta Brava has been included in a newly authorised state investment programme. The decision is a significant step for Puerto de la Cruz and the surrounding valley, although no start or completion date has been announced for this phase.
At a glance
| Detail | What is confirmed |
|---|---|
| Location | Punta Brava, Puerto de la Cruz |
| Project | Second-phase expansion of the Valle de La Orotava wastewater treatment plant |
| Investment | €42 million |
| Cabinet decision | 10 November 2026; announced by ACUAES on 11 November |
| Timetable | No phase-two start or completion date announced |
What has been approved?
Spain’s Council of Ministers has authorised a change to the investment agreement of ACUAES, the state-owned water infrastructure company. Its announcement specifically includes €42 million for the second phase of the Valle de La Orotava treatment-plant expansion.
The plant is in Punta Brava and forms part of the wastewater system serving the valley. The approval brings the next phase into ACUAES’s programme; it does not announce a construction contract or the beginning of work.
How does it fit with the earlier expansion?
The Cabildo’s February 2025 plans set out a first phase able to treat 10,000 cubic metres of wastewater a day, followed by a second phase taking total capacity to 20,000 cubic metres a day. The scheme was designed to serve Puerto de la Cruz, La Orotava, Los Realejos and part of Santa Úrsula.
Those plans also envisaged further treatment to remove salts and make treated water suitable for agricultural irrigation. Reusing this water would provide another resource for farms and reduce the amount needing to be discharged to sea.
These figures describe the Cabildo’s earlier project. The November 2026 announcement confirms the new phase-two investment but does not provide an updated technical specification.
Why it matters for Puerto’s coast
For residents and visitors who have followed the problems around Playa Jardín, better wastewater treatment is an important part of the longer-term picture. The Cabildo has linked the wider sanitation programme to improving treatment, reducing discharges and reusing water for agriculture.
The treatment plant, the coastal sewer network and the submarine outfall are different parts of that system. The council’s September 2026 replacement of a deteriorated Punta Brava sewer was a separate intervention.
This investment announcement does not establish that coastal-water problems have been resolved or change the bathing status of any beach.
What happens next?
The Cabinet’s record lists the Valle de La Orotava works among the projects in the agreement that do not yet have a declaration of General State Interest. Further administrative steps therefore remain part of the story.
Neither the Cabinet record nor ACUAES’s announcement gives a phase-two tender date, construction start or completion date. A published timetable and the next project or contracting decisions will show when the authorised investment can translate into work on site.
A site visit in March 2025
Photograph: a visit to the treatment plant during BALTEN works on 21 March 2025. Source: Ayuntamiento de Puerto de la Cruz.
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Official information
- ACUAES: Eight new hydraulic projects authorised
- La Moncloa: Cabinet reference: modification five of ACUAES agreement
- Cabildo de Tenerife / Diario de Tenerife: First-phase plant plans approved
- Cabildo de Tenerife / Diario de Tenerife: First-phase tender announcement
- Ayuntamiento de Puerto de la Cruz: BALTEN treatment-plant site visit
- Ayuntamiento de Puerto de la Cruz: Emergency Punta Brava coastal sewer replacement