The Minister of Territory, Housing, and Ecological Transition, Sílvia Paneque, announced the installation of 20 new devices, called chromatographs, to continuously identify and quantify chemical compounds such as benzene, ethylene oxide, and 1,3-butadiene. These high-precision instruments will enable more thorough air quality monitoring, particularly crucial in an area with significant chemical and petrochemical activity. The initial investment is approximately 900,000 euros, with an annual cost exceeding 350,000 euros.
The new equipment will be integrated into existing stations of the Network for the Surveillance and Prevention of Atmospheric Pollution (XVPCA) and new measurement points. They are expected to be fully operational by the first half of 2027, following a year of testing, calibration, and validation to ensure the scientific validity of the data.
The plan includes the deployment of the 20 chromatographs across 11 locations, with nine existing sites and three new ones: El Morell, La Canonja, and Vilallonga del Camp. Additionally, a new XVPCA station will be established in the El Serrallo neighborhood of Tarragona, strengthening coverage in the port and urban areas.
Currently, the XVPCA in the Camp de Tarragona has 13 measurement points that analyze 117 different parameters, generating over 3.2 million measurements annually. Minister Paneque affirmed the Government's commitment to enabling residents to check air quality in real-time and announced that the Air Quality Table will reconvene in nine to twelve months to present new results.
