The company strengthens its leadership in the digital transformation of the integrated water cycle, with the rollout of smart meters and sensors across nine Galician municipalities now more than 95% complete.
Espina & Delfín continues to make progress with its project to digitalise the urban water cycle, which received funding under the first call for projects issued through the PERTE for Water Digitalisation, launched by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO). The project is funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU under Spain’s Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.
The project, which has received €7 million in grant funding and involves a total investment of more than €10 million, is now over 80% complete, consolidating the company’s position as a national benchmark for innovation and water efficiency.
Large-scale digitalisation across nine Galician municipalities
The initiative benefits Cartelle, Cerceda, Coirós, Leiro, Negreira, Palas de Rei, Sarria, Vilagarcía de Arousa and Vilanova de Arousa, which together have a population of almost 80,000.
The progress made reflects a far-reaching modernisation of Galicia’s water cycle, with smart technologies being implemented at every stage.
One of the project’s main milestones is the rollout of smart meters, which is already more than 95% complete across the participating municipalities and has reached 100% in Vilanova de Arousa. Flow meters and water quality analysers have also been installed at abstraction points, with the rollout now 90% complete, improving resource monitoring and optimising management. The installation of flow meters and water quality analysers at drinking water treatment plants is more than 95% complete.
Digital management and visualisation platforms are also well advanced, with the customer management platform 99% complete and the visualisation platform 80% complete, supporting more agile and transparent administration. In parallel, AI and cybersecurity systems are now 70% and 85% integrated, respectively, strengthening information security and enabling more efficient decision-making.
The project is also making progress on energy sustainability, with 80% of the planned capacity installed and operational, reducing environmental impact and operating costs. In addition, GIS systems, including georeferencing and digital modelling tools, now provide average coverage of more than 80% in some municipalities, enabling advanced network control and predictive infrastructure maintenance.
Commitment to innovation and sustainability
The project comprises a total of 20 technological actions, including remote meter reading, network sectorisation, hydraulic system modelling, digital twins and transparency platforms, enabling real-time information sharing with public authorities and end users.
These solutions are designed to ensure more efficient, secure and sustainable water management, in line with the digital transformation and ecological transition objectives promoted by the European Union.
Galician leadership in water digitalisation
Espina & Delfín is the only Galician company to have secured funding independently under the first PERTE call, part of a national programme that allocated €200 million to 30 projects across Spain.
Through this initiative, the company strengthens its position as a leader in the integrated water cycle, applying innovation, engineering and proprietary technology in Galicia and across national and international markets.
