In January 2022, Euro Weekly News reported that the Mesa del Agua de Almería, which speaks for the province's irrigation communities, was calling for state subsidies on desalinated water. The Environment Ministry was considering such aid for areas served by the Tajo-Segura transfer, whose volumes had been reduced. The Mesa asked for equal treatment and a price cap of 30 cents per m³ under the 2018 Water Law. Electricity costs had nearly doubled the cost of a cubic metre compared with 2020, pushing tariffs up 30 to 40 per cent.
The report showed how strongly electricity prices drove the cost of desalinated water for farming. Almería's irrigators feared falling behind Murcia and pressed for a political price ceiling.
Source: Euro Weekly News