Digitalising desalination plants in the Canary Islands: what to measure before investing

A screen with graphs can help you operate a plant, but investment should start with a specific question: which decision do we want to improve? For a hotel, a farm, an industrial facility or an engineering company, selecting instrumentation for desalination plants in the Canary Islands means linking each measurement to production, water quality, maintenance or cost.

What is new: greater attention to data and water efficiency

The report published by iAgua on 5 October 2026 covers contributions from the Government of the Canary Islands, EMALSA and EMMASA at the Spain Smart Water Summit, held from 29 September to 1 October. The Canary Islands session addressed planning, digitalisation and energy efficiency, with examples of remote management and operational information across the islands.

This is information about activities and trends in the sector. It is not a new call for grant applications or an instrumentation tender. For a private plant, its value lies in identifying which data are missing to justify a specific improvement, without automatically applying an urban water operator’s solutions to a small plant.

Which data are useful in a reverse osmosis plant?

DuPont’s digital RO operations manual includes flow rates, pressures, temperature, and feedwater and permeate quality as data for analysis. It also covers performance normalisation to compare different operating conditions. Each plant’s instrument list should be defined according to its design and needs.

Analytical instrumentation may include other parameters depending on pretreatment and the final use of the water. Measurement panels can group parameters such as pH, turbidity, chlorine, ORP or conductivity; selection should be based on the process, rather than a fixed list for every desalination plant.

If the main issue is permeate quality, also see our article on conductivity variations in reverse osmosis. The aim here is to prepare an investment in measurement and integration, rather than to replace fault diagnosis.

Cost per m³: separating energy costs from the total cost of water

To calculate the energy component, divide the kWh consumed during the period by the m³ for the same period and the same scope. If you want to compare usable water delivered, the denominator must reflect that volume; avoid mixing it with gross production or with different periods.

This calculation is not the total cost of water. To assess an investment, you also need to decide how to account for consumables, maintenance, cleaning, labour and depreciation. Documenting these rules makes it possible to compare an instrumentation proposal with other options, such as repairing equipment or improving pretreatment.

How to plan an improvement in phases

First, take stock of what is already installed

Gather instrument model details, available signals, control panel information and diagrams. Identify which measurements are read manually, which are recorded and which are not used. Before buying new sensors, clarify whether you need to measure, record, transmit or interpret information that is already available.

Then, agree the scope with the system integrator

Define responsibilities for installation, wiring, configuration and data delivery. Specify who receives alarms and how the work will be accepted. Remote access, if included, requires agreeing user accounts and permissions with the owner and their IT manager; it should not be assumed when quoting an instrument.

Finally, acceptance and follow-up

A comparable quotation should explain how readings will be checked, what documentation will be provided and who will maintain the system. Agree a review of the results while the plant is operating under representative conditions. New data recording can support decisions, but by itself it does not guarantee savings or establish the cause of a deviation.

What to send when enquiring about supply or local technical support

• Island and plant location, water use and the purpose of the improvement.
• Flow rate, water analysis and available records, with dates and units.
• Photographs of connections, instruments and control panels; model details and diagrams where available.
• Required scope: supply, replacement, installation, integration or maintenance.
• Planned timescales and any access or shutdown restrictions.

These details are useful both for plant managers and for engineering and construction companies from mainland Spain working on projects in the Canary Islands. They help define the enquiry without assuming a solution, an available grant or quantified savings.

HidroSoluciones Canarias offers instrumentation, spare parts and maintenance for desalination plants, as well as a Plan Renove programme to assess upgrades to existing plants. The scope and terms of any proposal must be checked for each case.

Sources

• iAgua, 5 October 2026: report on the Canary Islands session at the Spain Smart Water Summit.
• DuPont: RO Operations Advisor User Manual, revision 4, September 2026.
• Endress+Hauser: instrumentation for membrane filtration processes.