The General Directorate of the Coast and the Sea issues a favorable report on the reservation of 280,063 square meters of public maritime-terrestrial domain to develop an action aimed at achieving zero footprint
The project, which is part of the Consortium's Decarbonization Plan, will restore this degraded salt mine, offset residual emissions and enhance biodiversity by recovering its natural functioning.
The State delegate, Fran González: “This project is an example of how a public administration is capable of leading projects that add scientific knowledge, environmental protection, institutional collaboration and new opportunities for sustainable development.”
The regenerated salt mine will be able to absorb around 124 tons of CO₂ to theñor, up to ten times more efficient than green carbon, and become a replicable model of blue economy and recovery of coastal ecosystems
Cadiz, July 31, 2026
The General Directorate of the Coast and the Sea has issued a favorable report to the request for a maritime-terrestrial public domain reserve necessary to develop the recovery project of the San Joaquín salt flat, in Chiclana de la Frontera, an action that will allow this space to be restored and turn it into a benchmark for blue carbon, environmental recovery and biodiversity conservation. With this procedure, the Cádiz Free Trade Zone takes a decisive step to make one of the most important projects of the decarbonization plan launched by the Consortium a reality within its commitment to move towards zero footprint.
The reserve affects an area of 280,063 square meters of public maritime-terrestrial domain within the so-called 'Basic blue carbon sink project and water sheet recovery to enhance biodiversity in the San Joaquín salt farm', a space that for years has suffered a significant degradation process as a consequence of abandonment and erosion caused by the tides. The next step will be the submission of the proposal to the Council of Ministers, the body competent to approve the declaration of reservation of the maritime-terrestrial public domain, an essential requirement to be able to execute the planned actions.
The project, which has a budget of 278,671.94 euros, will allow the ecological functionality of the San Joaquín salt flat to be recovered by restoring tidal dynamics, repairing historical infrastructure and recovering the water table, creating a pioneering space for the capture of blue carbon and the promotion of biodiversity. The initiative has the scientific-technical collaboration of CTAQUA, whose participation reinforces the innovation component of the project. It provides technical knowledge on aquatic ecosystems and the blue economy to contribute to the environmental recovery of the salt mine and the generation of transferable knowledge to other restoration actions of marshes and salt flats on the Cádiz coast, in collaboration with the University of Cádiz and the rest of the entities involved.
The State delegate in the Free Trade Zone of Cádiz, Fran González, highlighted that “Costa's favorable report represents a decisive step to make a pioneering project a reality that connects decarbonization with the recovery of our natural heritage and with an innovative way of understanding the blue economy.”
Fran González has also pointed out that "the San Joaquín salt mine can become a blue lung for the Bay of Cádiz and an example of how a public administration is capable of leading projects that add scientific knowledge, environmental protection, institutional collaboration and new opportunities for sustainable development."
The delegate also believes that this public initiative is “an example of how a public administration is capable of leading projects that add scientific knowledge, environmental protection, institutional collaboration and new opportunities for sustainable development.”
Satisfaction of the mayor of Chiclana
The project also has the support of the Chiclana City Council, which issued a favorable report during the processing. The General Directorate of the Coast and the Sea has considered that the proposed activities are compatible with the Coastal regulations and has favorably reported the declaration of reservation in favor of the Cádiz Free Trade Zone Consortium.
The mayor, José María Román, has shown his satisfaction with the implementation of this action, which adds to the important work that has been carried out for years in the municipality for the conservation and enhancement of the salt heritage and which supports the policies that the administrations have led the city to be one of the three finalists of the European Green Leaf Awards.
"In Chiclana there has always been a strong tradition of defending the salt mines and working to recover this valuable natural, environmental and cultural heritage. The Free Trade Zone initiative is magnificent news because it joins the set of actions that are already being carried out in the municipal salt mines and in other private farms that keep salt production alive," he noted.
Román believes this project will contribute to recovering an ecosystem of enormous richness and will also generate an important blue carbon sink, reinforcing the role of marshes in the fight against climate change.”
Decarbonization Plan
The initiative constitutes one of the central pieces of the Decarbonization Plan launched by the Cádiz Free Trade Zone to move towards zero footprint. This plan began with the measurement of direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions generated by the Consortium's facilities and its participating companies throughout the province, continued with the independent verification of the calculation and its registration in the registry of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge; and is currently in the phase of implementing mitigation and compensation measures.
The validated carbon footprint of the Zona Franca Group corresponding to 2023 stood at 872.07 tons of CO₂ equivalent. The reduction measures included in the plan - such as the replacement of air conditioning equipment, the incorporation of electric vehicles, the implementation of teleworking, the establishment of centralized control systems for buildings and the incorporation of renewable energies - plan to reduce around 90% of these emissions.
The recovery of the San Joaquín salt flat will make it possible to address the remaining percentage by taking advantage of the so-called blue carbon, associated with the capacity of marshes, salt flats and other coastal ecosystems to capture and store carbon in a particularly efficient way. In addition to contributing to the fight against climate change, these spaces regulate the climate, stop coastal erosion, protect against floods and floods and host high biodiversity.
The choice of San Joaquín was the result of a study developed by the Free Trade Zone together with the Blue Carbon Laboratory of the Ecology Area of the University of Cádiz. The work analyzed four abandoned or unused marshes in the Bay of Cádiz and assessed, among other factors, their capacity to capture carbon, the cost of the necessary actions, their state of conservation and the possibility of making environmental recovery compatible with sustainable economic activity.
After this analysis, the San Joaquín salt mine was selected because it met the best conditions to develop the pilot project. The estimates made suggest that, once regenerated, it could absorb around 124 tons of CO₂ per year, a capacity sufficient to more than offset the residual emissions expected after the application of the reduction measures included in the Decarbonization Plan.
This is a living project, with ongoing data analysis work to adjust it to real emissions, which allows for a constant and updated evaluation. Blue carbon is proving to be up to ten times more efficient as a sink than green carbon.
Once the Council of Ministers approves the reserve, the corresponding minutes and plan will be signed between the Free Zone and the Coastal Demarcation in Andalusia-Atlántico in Cádiz. The works must be executed in accordance with the authorized project and under the conditions of protection, control and inspection established by the General Directorate of the Coast and the Sea.
The Free Zone develops this initiative in collaboration with the University of Cádiz, CTAQUA, Tragsatec and the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, with the aim of turning San Joaquín into a national reference action and a model that can be replicated in other coastal areas.
With this project, the Consortium reaffirms its commitment to a more sustainable, efficient industrial and economic model linked to the natural wealth of the Bay of Cádiz, while consolidating its role as an institution driving the blue economy and environmental innovation in the province.