Socialists celebrate deal to bring Xàbia’s desalination plant back to public control
In a statement following Thursday’s council meeting, the PSOE welcomed the cross-party agreement that sets a date for Xàbia’s desalination plant to return to public management through AMJASA, ending years of delay and high costs.
In a statement issued after Thursday’s extraordinary council meeting, Xàbia’s Socialist Party (PSOE) celebrated the agreement reached by all political groups to return the town’s desalination plant to public ownership under the management of the municipal water company, AMJASA.
The deal sets January 2026 as the end of the current extension with Acciona, whose concession expired on 1st January 2024. According to the PSOE, that delay has cost local residents around €750,000, or about €35,000 per month.
PSOE spokesperson José Chulvi said the outcome shows what can be achieved with political will. “We always knew this moment would come, and the desalination plant could already have been in AMJASA’s hands since 2024. It hasn’t happened sooner because of a lack of interest and inaction from Xàbia’s government, which only responded after we requested the extraordinary session,” he explained.
Despite early resistance from PP and Vox, the determination of PSOE, Ciudadanos por Jávea (CpJ), and Compromís to fix a clear timeline for the handover led to unanimous support.
The PSOE linked this success to other major local issues where the party has set the agenda from opposition, including the tourist apartment moratorium and the revival of the municipal swimming pool project.
“For us, this is proof that useful, effective politics based on cooperation is still possible,” added Chulvi. “We’ve had to fill a leadership gap, but the result is what matters. The real winner today is Xàbia, which will regain control of an essential piece of infrastructure before 1st April 2026.”
