Record fine over environmental damage to Mar Menor

IN a landmark decision, the Spanish Ministry of the Environment has proposed a hefty fine of €1.105 million for G’s Spain, a multinational headquartered in Torre Pacheco, over environmentally damaging discharges into the Mar Menor.

Landmark Decision: Spanish Ministry Proposes €1.105 Million Fine for G’s Spain

The company is held responsible for the release of brine with high levels of agricultural nitrates between 2012 and 2016 through two illegal desalination plants. The plants were dismantled by authorities during large-scale operations targeting pollution in the Mar Menor.

Illegal Desalination Plants: Environmental Offense Linked to Mar Menor Pollution

The brine spill, equivalent to 767 Olympic-sized swimming pools, contained elevated concentrations of salt and nitrates diverted to the Albujón riverbed. The water, extracted from the degraded aquifer in Campo de Cartagena, irrigated 435 hectares of crops across 75 plots. Investigations revealed that the sealed desalination plants expelled untreated brine directly into the Albujón riverbed and subsequently into the Mar Menor.

Legal Consequences: G’s Spain Administrator, David Abram, Faces Prison for Alleged Offense

G’s Spain is implicated in the initial phase of the Topillo case, where it emerged as the primary contributor of brine rejection into the lagoon. The company’s administrator, David Abram, may face up to three and a half years in prison for an alleged environmental offense.

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