Irrigation federation says 111 ready projects need €1.1bn to cut water losses

Portugal's national irrigators' federation, FENAREG, says a pipeline of 111 projects worth about €1.1 billion is waiting to modernise irrigation infrastructure, cut water and energy losses and expand storage and distribution. Some are ready for construction. FENAREG puts collective irrigation needs at around €2 billion by 2030 and warns that a decade of delay under the national "Água que Une" strategy could cost the economy more than €5.4 billion. Portugal stores only about 20% of annual inflows, leaving it exposed to drought. The funding and timetable will be debated on 18-19 November in Reguengos de Monsaraz, where a hydraulic circuit worth over €88 million is under way.