EBRO VALLEY

Riegos del Alto Aragón is located between the provinces of Huesca and Zaragoza. The current irrigable area totals 135,000 ha, spread over a territory of 2,500 km2 located between 200 and 425 m above sea level. The system is supplied by surface water diverted from the Gállego and Cinca rivers. It is the largest irrigation system in Spain but has not yet completed the transformation of the planned irrigable area (174,000 ha). In recent decades, the growth of the irrigable area has advanced significantly, from 92,554 ha irrigated in 1990, to 117,262 ha irrigated in 2008 and 135,000 ha at present. The area has sectors with a marked depopulation and others with greater economic and demographic dynamism.

Since 2000, a profound transformation has been carried out, and most of the land has installed on-demand pressurised irrigation (mainly for sprinklers) with remote control systems. However, 32,707 ha still remain to be modernised. The modernization process has made possible double harvests, although at a high energy cost. The Riegos del Alto Aragón system uses 50 million kWh of electricity annually to pump water and is developing various initiatives to encourage energy efficiency and optimise the cost of electricity supply.