A network of irrigation for the Xévora Hydro-Agricultural Development (AHX) in Campo Maior, in the Portalegre district, will be inaugurated on Tuesday, following an investment of more than 18.9 million euros, it was announced today.
In a press release, the Campo Maior Town Hall explains that the AHX is a “structuring project” for the region, covering a “benefited area of 1,560 hectares.”
“Situated in the Guadiana river basin and fed by the Abrilongo dam, the project aims to equip the region with a modern irrigation infrastructure, promoting agricultural valorization, economic development and the fight against rural depopulation,” reads the document.
The infrastructure, according to the municipality, comprises a dam, an irrigation network with “around 44 kilometres of conduits, 70 hydrants, 106 irrigation outlets and a pumping station, allowing a pressurized water distribution system, energy-efficient and with strong gravity-driven use.”
“The project was reformulated following the Conditional Favorable Environmental Impact Statement issued on 19 May 2022, reconciling irrigation needs with the protection of environmental values and after consultation with the authorities of the Kingdom of Spain,” adds the document.
The document also explains that the realization of the AHX “develops in three phases,” the first of which was the construction of the Abrilongo dam, completed in 2000, the second phase being the construction of the irrigation network, awarded on 27 August 2024 and signed on 14 January 2025.
“Subsequently, the pumping station will be built, aimed at strengthening energy efficiency and system security, and the compensation of cork oaks and the remaining environmental measures foreseen in the Environmental Impact Statement (Phase 3 and beyond) will be implemented,” they indicate.
With an investment of over 18.9 million euros, funded by the Rural Development Programme (PDR2020), the irrigation network project was promoted by the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DGADR).
“The total financing for this development is 25 million euros, which will also enable the completion of the hydro-agricultural infrastructures (Phase 3),” adds the statement.
The inauguration ceremony of the AHX irrigation network will begin on Tuesday, at the Campo Maior Cultural Center, starting at 10:00.
