Spain greenhouse water access and well permits
Which authorities grant water-use rights, well authorisations and irrigation supply in Spain, and what to confirm before sizing irrigation and fertigation systems.
Water access and well permits
- River basin authority (Confederación Hidrográfica) — Grants water-use concessions and well authorisations under the consolidated Water Law.
What to verify (SeedMatch guidance)
- Confirm an existing concession or irrigation-community allocation covers the planned volume before design.
- Test source salinity — it drives desalination or blending equipment in the RFQ.
Legal time limits in Spain
Public notice period for competing applications after a concession request is published
1 month
Public Hydraulic Domain Regulation (RD 849/1986), art. 105Applicant reply when the basin authority proposes limiting conditions
15 days
Public Hydraulic Domain Regulation (RD 849/1986), art. 108Maximum length of a water-use concession
75 years
Consolidated Water Law (RDL 1/2001), Title IV
We did not find one legal deadline for deciding the whole concession procedure. Unanswered requests over public water are generally treated as refused (Law 39/2015, art. 24).
These are the limits written into law. Real processing times can be longer.
Public projects in Spain
Documented public projects for context. They are not SeedMatchGroup projects or clients.
Campo de Dalías desalination plant expansion
El Ejido, Almería · Plant opened 2015; expansion 2023–2024
Desalinated water for irrigation across about 8,000 ha of greenhouses through a 41 km pipe network, with boron reduced for agricultural use. Capacity is about 97,200 m³ per day, which the source notes does not yet meet demand.
Source: Ayesa (project engineer)Public bodies and laws are named as institutional context; checklists are SeedMatchGroup planning guidance, not legal advice. Confirm current rules with the issuing authority.