Lanzarote hotels invest in desalination due to water shortages

In Lanzarote, the tourism sector is increasingly forced to secure its own water supply due to chronic losses and intermittent cuts in the public network. The Hotel Seaside Los Jameos Playa in Puerto del Carmen is currently processing the renewal of its desalination plant to ensure operational continuity.

The facility is designed for self-consumption, capable of producing up to 600,000 liters of water daily through a complete hydrological cycle that includes seawater capture and brine management.

Business operators view these private investments as a necessary survival tactic to avoid the high costs of halting activities caused by municipal infrastructure failures. However, the process is complicated by administrative hurdles and bureaucratic delays from the Consejo Insular de Aguas, which increase transaction costs for businesses attempting to mitigate public service deficiencies.