Air quality in and around Marsa has improved since the Marsa power station was switched off, Enemalta said today.

Since the Marsa Power Station was put on cold standby in the beginning of 2015, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the area were reduced by up to 761,000 tonnes a year, being the average annual amount produced by the same station between 2010 and 2014. One would need a photovoltaic panel installation the size of 900 football fields to achieve a similar decrease of greenhouse gas emissions, mayors were told at a meeting with the company.   

In January 2016, airborne sulphur dioxide concentrations in the Marsa area were over 80% less than the levels recorded when the power station was still generating electricity. The recent SO2 levels at the former power station area were almost as low as those recorded at the University of Malta’s Global Air Watch background station at the Tal-Giordan Lighthouse in Gharb, Gozo.

Other improvements were recorded in nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions, even if this pollutant is also attributed to other sources, including cars.

Enemalta officials also told the mayors that the company was no longer receiving complaints  of black dust from residents in nearby localities. The last reported case of black dust precipitation goes back to 2013.

In March 2011, a report penned by Prof. Alfred J. Vella had “anticipated that once the Marsa Power Station is decommissioned, deposition of coarse black particles will very likely decrease considerably.”

Enemalta chairman Fredrick Azzopardi said the next phase of the dismantling of the Marsa power station will gather pace in the next few weeks with the dismantling of parts of Boiler 8, one of the largest structures of the Marsa Power Station, and other equipment.

He said the company would be making sure that contractors take all  measures to avoid inconveniences to nearby businesses and residential areas.