Rubau and Ferrovial set to upgrade and expand Catalonia’s largest drinking water treatment plant

January, 2025

Rubau Group and Ferrovial have broken ground on the expansion and upgrade of the Ter drinking water treatment plant (DWTP), the largest facility of its kind in Catalonia.

The project, commissioned by Ens d’Abastament d’Aigua Ter-Llobregat (ATL), will be executed by Ferrovial’s water infrastructure subsidiary, Cadagua, and Rubau’s water subsidiary, Arema. It has a budget of €102 million and an expected completion timeline of 48 months.

The project involves upgrading the existing sand filters and building new granular activated carbon filters, along with water disinfection facilities. The project also includes construction of such infrastructures as a filtered water tank, an intermediate pumping station, an ozonation building, and a structure to house the activated carbon filters.

The challenge with this project is that the upgrade and expansion work must not interfere with normal plant operation. This requirement will necessitate making connections to existing facilities that remain in operation to ensure there is no disruption to the water supply. Modernization of the Ter DWTP will enhance the existing infrastructure and help ensure a reliable water supply for the Barcelona metro region.

The Ter Drinking Water Treatment Plant, inaugurated in 1966, still serves as a critical infrastructure for the greater Barcelona area. The plant has a treatment capacity of 8 cubic meters per second (8 m³/s) and features four reservoirs with a total storage capacity of 557,664 m^³. Under typical conditions, this facility provides two-thirds of the water supply for the Barcelona metropolitan area.

This project will specifically ensure both the quantity and quality of the water supply while ensuring strict compliance with the new Directive 2020/2184.

With this contract award, Ferrovial and its subsidiary Cadagua strengthen their presence in Catalonia, where they manage multiple wastewater treatment plants and have contributed to the construction of facilities such as the Baix Llobregat, Besòs, Sant Joan Despí, and Gavà Viladecans wastewater treatment plants.

For Rubau and Arema, this agreement further expands their significant portfolio of water management projects in Catalonia, including the Salmorres sewer main, the extension of the Tossa de Mar WWTP, and the construction of the Sant Gregori WWTP, noted for its key ecological role.