EIB Financing Supports Desalination, Wastewater Reuse and Water Supply Improvements in Málaga Province

EIB Financing Supports Desalination, Wastewater Reuse and Water Supply Improvements in Málaga Province

(IN BRIEF) The European Investment Bank has approved €175 million in financing for Acosol to modernise drinking water, sanitation and wastewater infrastructure across 11 municipalities on Spain’s western Costa del Sol. The first €75 million tranche has been signed. The investment programme will refurbish more than 30 kilometres of drinking water pipelines, replace over 20 kilometres of sewer collectors, upgrade wastewater treatment facilities, expand reclaimed-water networks and build a new reservoir at the Río Verde treatment plant. It also includes energy-efficiency measures and renewable-energy generation for self-consumption at the Marbella desalination plant. The project is designed to reduce water losses, improve water reuse, strengthen drought resilience and support reliable services for around one million year-round residents, rising to more than 1.4 million during summer.

(PRESS RELEASE) LUXEMBOURG, 6-Jul-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — The European Investment Bank and Acosol have agreed a €175 million financing package to modernise water supply, sanitation and wastewater infrastructure across the western Costa del Sol.

The first €75 million tranche of the approved loan was signed today. The funding will support Acosol’s investment programme across the 11 municipalities served by the Association of Municipalities of the Western Costa del Sol.

Acosol manages the full urban water cycle in the area, including drinking water supply and sanitation services. The planned investments are expected to benefit around one million residents in Benahavís, Benalmádena, Casares, Estepona, Fuengirola, Istán, Manilva, Marbella, Mijas, Ojén and Torremolinos. During the summer season, the population served rises to more than 1.4 million people.

The programme is intended to improve the reliability and efficiency of water services in an area facing recurring drought, high seasonal demand and significant water stress. It will focus on reducing leaks, improving water reuse, strengthening treatment systems and increasing the resilience of infrastructure to climate-related pressures.

Planned measures include upgrades to water production, conveyance, storage and electromechanical equipment. More than 20 kilometres of collectors in the integrated sewerage network will be replaced to address leakage and seawater infiltration.

The investment will also support improvements to wastewater treatment plants and the rehabilitation of sewerage infrastructure to meet environmental requirements. New reclaimed-water networks will help increase the reuse of treated wastewater.

In the drinking water network, more than 30 kilometres of pipelines will be refurbished. A new service reservoir will also be constructed at the Río Verde drinking water treatment plant.

The programme includes energy-efficiency measures and plans to produce renewable electricity for self-consumption at the Marbella desalination plant. These improvements are intended to reduce the environmental impact of water operations while helping Acosol manage energy use more efficiently.

By improving distribution systems, expanding reuse capacity and upgrading key facilities, the project is expected to strengthen the region’s preparedness for future water shortages and more variable climate conditions.

The financing forms part of the EIB Group’s Water Resilience Programme, which aims to invest €15 billion between 2025 and 2027 in water security, infrastructure modernisation and sustainable water management. The programme is expected to help mobilise up to €40 billion in related investment.

In Spain, EIB financing for projects supporting efficient water management reached €570 million in 2025. The Acosol project also contributes to the EIB Group’s climate action objectives under its 2024–2027 Strategic Roadmap and the second phase of its Climate Bank Roadmap for 2026–2030.

EIB Group 

The EIB Group is the financing arm of the European Union. Its shareholders are the 27 Member States, and it is one of the largest multilateral development banks in the world. In 2025, the EIB Group signed €100 billion in new financing and advisory services for over 870 high-impact projects under eight core priorities that support EU policy objectives: climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, cohesion, agriculture and bioeconomy, social infrastructure, global partnerships and the savings and investments union. Beyond long-term loans for large infrastructure, the EIB Group crowds in private investment for high-risk innovative projects and businesses, with a growing role in Europe’s markets for venture debt, venture capital, guarantees and securitisations. In 2025, the EIB Group completed financing and investment operations in Spain totalling around €11 billion, which came alongside an additional €2.9 billion under the Regional Resilience Fund (NextGenerationEU loans).

The European Investment Fund (EIF) is the subsidiary of the EIB Group specialised in providing guarantees and equity to improve access to finance for small and medium-sized businesses and startups across Europe. Acting as an anchor investor, through its extensive network of partnering banks and investment funds, the EIF mobilises private investment and nurtures the ecosystem of venture capital funds to support innovative European entrepreneurs.

In 2023, the EIF, together with six Member States (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands), launched the European Tech Champions Initiative (ETCI), a fund of funds to help innovative companies scale up. This initiative has already enabled the creation of 15 European venture capital mega funds and scaled up 43 companies, including 12 unicorns (with more than €1 billion in capital).

Photos of the EIB Group management and headquarters, logo files and video B-roll for media use are available here.

Acosol

Acosol S.A. is a public company owned by the municipalities’ association Mancomunidad de Municipios de la Costa del Sol Occidental, responsible for managing the entire urban water cycle. It covers all systems: from the abstraction, treatment and bulk distribution of drinking water to the eleven municipalities of the Costa del Sol, through to the conveyance of wastewater via the integrated sewerage network, treatment at its six wastewater treatment plants, and water reclamation, allowing it to be reused to water golf courses – an area Acosol has been active in for more than 20 years. It was founded as a public company in 1994 by the municipalities’ association to provide services throughout the Costa del Sol region, and currently employs more than 400 people.

Acosol is always evolving, and is adapting to new tools and technologies thanks to the Agua 360 digitalisation project, which forms part of the third call under the PERTE programme and is financed by NextGenerationEU funds. This modernisation and expansion extends to all of its shared infrastructure assets: the drinking water, wastewater and desalination facilities ETAP de Río Verde, Desaladora de Marbella (EDAM), EDAR Arroyo de la Miel, EDAR Cerro del Águila, EDAR Cala de Mijas, EDAR La Víbora, EDAR Casares and EDAR Guadalmansa. In 2024, an investment plan for €348 million was approved to address the new water-related challenges facing the area, following several droughts in the region. This programme of works and projects aims to strengthen Acosol’s response capacity – promoting quality, making water and energy consumption more efficient, and investing in the infrastructure required to achieve these objectives. Thanks to the EIB loan, Acosol gains access to €175 million to make these projects and measures a reality.

Media Contact:

Maite Cordero
m.corderomunoz@eib.org
+34 606 66 82 62

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+352 43791

SOURCE: European Investment Bank