The project of desalination plant of sea water at Praia do Futuro, in Strength (CE), was approved by the State Environmental Council (Coema) this Wednesday (8). In total, there were 22 votes in favor and 4 abstentions. The project's preliminary license is expected to be released in the Official Gazette of the State of Ceará within 5 days.
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The discussion surrounding the plant has been the subject of controversy since the beginning, given that its structure is located close to the second largest international hub for submarine fiber optic cables. According to the telecommunications sector, the operation of the plant would cause instabilities in data transfer and could break cables while pumping water. As a result, there is fear about the functioning of the internet in Brazil.
However, even with the sector's reservations, the project passed through Coema. The next stage is the presentation to the Superintendency of the Union's Heritage (SPU) to obtain authorization for access to Praia do Futuro. The works are expected to begin in March 2024, with completion by the first half of 2026, requiring an investment of around R$3.2 billion.
As announced by the State Government of Ceará, the plant could increase the supply of drinking water in Fortaleza by 12%. According to the Ceará Water and Sewage Company (Cagece), there is no risk of interference in the supply of Internet in the country. There was a change in the project so that there would be no risk to submarine cables in the region.
Furthermore, the government also states that the work “is strategic for the diversification of the state's water matrix, aiming to guarantee the security of the water supply in Fortaleza”. The new plant is expected to be able to produce a thousand liters of water per second, benefiting approximately 720,000 people.
The plant will be installed in a location where 17 cables connect Brazil and Europe. The cables in question reach Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, guaranteeing internet supply for the entire country. They are responsible for 99% of data transmission, as announced by the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel).
Due to this, Anatel opposed the project in its presentation held in September 2022. However, the Agency was notified of a change in the project, which increases the distance of the plant from 40m to 567m from the cables. In light of this change, the Anatel returned to studying the feasibility and compatibility of the project with the reality of connection cables.
