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Date Published: 16/09/2022

ARCHIVED - Record summer heat boosts salt harvest of main Spanish producer in Torrevieja

ARCHIVED ARTICLE

Salinas de Torrevieja in the Vega Baja, Alicante province, expects a harvest of around 550,000 tonnes

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Record summer heat boosts salt harvest of main Spanish producer in Torrevieja

This summer's record heat and consequent evaporation process has boosted the harvest of Spain's main salt producer, the Salinas de Torrevieja, which expects to yield around 550,000 tons this year.

Salt production has been massively reduced to between 300,000 and 350,000 tons in recent years, due to more rain than usual in the area, according to the head of production at Salinas de Torrevieja, Luis Díezis, but this year "the forecast is much better and looks set to return to the usual figure of 550,000 plus tons".

Intense heat in July, August and the first half of September, accompanied by tropical night-time temperatures, has led to "excessive evaporation" which has benefited the salt harvesting operation "by accelerating the crystallisation of the salt, making it of higher quality".

"The meteorological situation has meant that the thickness of the salt sheets is currently around 100 or 110 millimetres, a figure which, although it does not reach the optimum of 120, is significantly better than that achieved in recent years, of between 50 and 80. This thickness benefits us because it saves us harvesting time and helps to increase production", explained Diezis.

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Due to the orographic characteristics of Torrevieja's large salt pans, which are located in the middle of a natural park, the salt is collected "wet" by means of a boat that cuts the salt slabs from the bottom and brings them to the surface to be collected later by other barges.

Once at the harvesting plant, the salt is washed and stored before being sent to its final destination, which is usually the food and chemical industries or for de-icing roads in Spain, as well as several northern European countries and the United States.

Salt workers usually start production in August and finish in June the following year, allowing a month of maintenance work in July. Heavy rain in September could scupper production, but Diezis is confident "the rains won't be any more intense than usual".

"However, any torrential rain would suddenly stop the crystallisation of the salt because the fresh water reduces the density of salt in the water and affects the curdling process", he warned.

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Image: Salinas de Torrevieja

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