ITE completes the commissioning of two new desalination plants on board the Spanish Navy’s Juan Carlos I Aircraft Carrier
The company strengthens its naval sustainment capabilities with the installation of two new high-production reverse osmosis systems specifically designed for military environments, in an activity managed by Navantia from its Cádiz facility.
The Navy division within the Defence unit of Integración Tecnológica Empresarial has successfully completed the commissioning of a new desalination plant on board the aircraft carrier Juan Carlos I (L-61), one of the Spanish Navy’s most strategic naval platforms.
The work involved the replacement of two fresh water production units due to the obsolescence of the previous systems, in a highly complex technical operation carried out between facilities in Madrid, Cádiz and the Rota Naval Base. The project represents a new milestone for ITE’s industrial and engineering capabilities in the naval and defence sectors.
Critical infrastructure for the vessel’s operability
On a military vessel, the availability of fresh water is not only a logistical necessity, but also a critical element for daily operability. “The new reverse osmosis plant installed on board will supply multiple essential ship systems, from kitchens and human consumption to cooling systems, plumbing, technical cleaning and washdown operations,” explains Luis Sánchez, Director of the Navy Special Projects Unit at ITE.
The installed model, named ITE75FSS, has been specifically designed to operate in demanding naval environments. Among its main features are a MIL-STD shock-standard design, an oversized system capable of operating even in extremely cold waters, and an architecture free from plastic components, thereby reinforcing its reliability and durability in military operations.
Each plant has a production capacity of 75 cubic metres/day of fresh water.
Highly complex naval engineering
One of the most significant aspects of the project has been the technical complexity associated with the onboard installation. The units were manufactured at Integración Tecnológica Empresarial’s facilities in El Puerto de Santa María (Cádiz) and subsequently subjected to the corresponding certification tests. During this process, all the programme’s key milestones were validated, including the factory testing of the system with the highest fresh water production capacity currently in operation within the Spanish Navy.
Final integration on board the vessel required highly specialised work by the operators forming part of ITE’s technical team in Cádiz, coordinated by Reyes García-Romeral, together with the participation of the engineering team comprising Luis Sánchez, Ana Colón de Carvajal and César Ortega.
“The operation involved the complete dismantling of the units into subassemblies in order to allow their introduction and installation in the engine room without the need to carry out structural modifications to the vessel,” explains Luis Sánchez, who adds that “everything was possible thanks to the excellent coordination between a highly qualified human team and ITE’s naval specialists in Cádiz, who possess extensive experience in this type of work.”
Experience and capability in the service of Defence
For ITE, participating in an onboard project within the Juan Carlos I (L-61) represents significant recognition of its technical capabilities in naval sustainment and onboard systems because “it means participating in Spain’s largest naval platform; it is both a challenge and a source of pride for the entire team,” Sánchez emphasises.
The work forms part of the company’s regular Navy division capabilities, specialising in sustainment, engineering and systems integration for naval platforms.
In addition, the project has highlighted the experience accumulated by the ITE team over more than three decades in the design and manufacture of highly reliable reverse osmosis systems requiring low preventive maintenance.
A deployment executed in record time
One of the most demanding moments of the project came during the final onboard trials. The vessel’s operational schedule required all validations to be carried out within an extremely limited timeframe before the aircraft carrier’s immediate mission.
Despite this, the complete battery of tests was successfully carried out in a single day with a 100% satisfactory result, a milestone that the team recalls as one of the moments of greatest professional satisfaction within the project.
Capability, solutions and enthusiasm
The completion of this project reinforces ITE’s positioning as a leading technological and industrial partner in the defence and naval sustainment sectors, providing critical solutions for strategic platforms of the Spanish Navy.
“This project perfectly summarises what we are capable of delivering: capability, solutions and enthusiasm,”
— concludes Luis Sánchez.