Europe | A common purpose


Learning from their experiences across the UK and Spain, representatives from the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) and the Spanish Council of Civil Engineers recently discussed how resilience can be built into dams, reservoirs and the wider water system


of differences between the two countries, what really struck him was “the complete and utter alignment with what our purpose is”. He believes it’s very clear we have engineering capability so that the profession can help the planet and people to thrive. Luis Villarroya is the President of the Spanish Council of Civil Engineers (CICCP) and described it as an honour to be at the ICE in London – a venue he described as being a symbolic and historic venue, and which strongly represents the values and legacy of civil engineering in UK. Rooted in technical exchange, technical dialogue and mutual respect, Villarroya said the collaboration between Spain and the UK has become a space for reflection, learning and joint decisions. Indeed, he believes this is echoed in the professional community because 50% of Spanish civil engineers working outside Spain are based in the UK.


Above: El Grado dam in Spain.


Below: El Mirador del Fraile hydroelectric dam on the Duero River in Spain


“AT THE INSTITUTION OF Civil Engineers we’re open and honest to say that we don’t have all the answers but are good at convening people to discuss issues and find the answers,” David Porter, ICE President acknowledged in London recently. “And we don’t just focus on ourselves but partner and work with others such as the Spanish Council of Civil Engineers. This not only helps us as a profession to deliver better projects and address pressing issues, but it also provides a networking opportunity and bonds organisations together.”


Speaking at the fourth annual summit between the UK and Spain, Porter said that although there are lots


With the increasingly complex challenges of climate change, demographic pressure, and technological transformation, Villarroya said there is a great need for resilient infrastructure and an urgent demand for sustainability in everything engineers do. “In this demanding context the role of the engineers not only becomes technical but also strategic, social and ethical,” he said. “Engineers not only have to provide solutions but anticipate risk and integrate environmental and social dimensions in all projects, safeguarding the long-term interests of future generations. This requires excellent innovation, responsibility and above all international cooperation. No institution or country can address the challenge alone,” he stressed. Adding that the summit couldn’t be more timely or


more relevant, the President of the Spanish Council of Civil Engineers spoke about water resources management, and how water scarcity and excess are two sides of the same reality - both of which have devastating impacts on economies, ecosystems and human lives “An isolated approach isn’t how we provide the solutions that the future demands from us, and this is the spirit that defines this bilateral summit,” he told the audience in London. “Our collaboration shows how professional institutions can act as a bridge between countries and as a platform for knowledge exchange and a catalyst for innovation and best practice.”


Spanish tragedy Carlos Granell is the President of the Spanish Committee


on Large Dams, and the general manager at Granell Hydraulic Engineers. He spoke about how the scarcity of water along with floods have featured throughout Spanish history, going on to describe the availability of water in the country as “a tragedy”. “We only have 7% availably of our natural water


resources, while in other European countries it is more like 30%. So that’s why we have constructed more than 1200 dams,” Granell explained.


Dam construction has, in what he calls “such a 18 | May 2026 | www.waterpowermagazine.com


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