A PN government would make power cuts a thing of the past after heavy investment, shadow ministers Joe Giglio and Ryan Callus said on Wednesday.
They were speaking after a spate of recent power cuts and a report last week by the Auditor General which blamed power cuts in summer last year on a lack of investment.
The Auditor General had pointed out that Enemalta has not used its allocated budget to improve medium and high voltage distribution for the last 10 years.
“The report is further proof of what we have long been saying that there are substantial deficiencies in planning and capital investment in the electricity distribution system,” energy shadow minister Ryan Callus said.
Malta is already experiencing blackouts this summer because of the government’s lack of investment over the last 10 years, he said.
“A PN government will make the needed investments so that this problem becomes a thing of the past,” Callus said.
He said the government was to blame for the current situation because it had consciously increased Malta’s population but had not made the necessary infrastructural investment to handle the increase.
As Malta sizzled in a record heatwave last June/July, much of the country experienced sporadic power outages for several days.
There have also been several power cuts across Malta in the last few days. The whole of Gozo was without power for hours on Tuesday evening as a supply cable caught fire.
Infrastructure shadow minister Joe Giglio said that much of Malta’s infrastructure was not keeping up with the population growth.
That included the sewage system and the roads, he said, as well as health services.
“Because the Labour government is so caught up with infighting, it has not realised the dire need to improve the country’s infrastructure,” Giglio said.
ADPD: A government which lacks long-term planning and subsidises waste
ADPD also lambasted the government in a separate press conference outside the offices of the Ministry for Energy.
Chairperson Sandra Gauci said that the Auditor General's report, which the party had requested, confirmed the lack of long-term planning in modern electricity distribution systems.
Sandra Gauci and Ralph Cassar."It has now been confirmed that the government is more interested in spending a million euros a day in blanket subsidies on electricity consumption irrespective of waste rather than offering a modern service that meets the demand for electricity," she said.
"We want a modern energy system that ensures a supply of electricity for a better quality of life. This includes a transition towards more and more renewable energy, and a 'smart' distribution system that meets the needs of a zero-carbon economy."
She said the increase in demand was predictable, both because of the tsunami of construction projects, population growth and climate change, but the government had not acted.
"Instead of ensuring reasonable tariffs for those who use energy wisely, it also rewards those who waste and use electricity recklessly," she added.
Party Secretary General Ralph Cassar said that the disaster in the energy system was a result of incompetence and a sheer lack of long-term planning.
"The energy sector in Malta has frequently focused on fuel purchases, a source of huge profits for the few. The case of gas purchases and the oil scandal are but two examples. However, very little has been done to improve the distribution system itself," he said.
"We reiterate that an effort should be made to control the demand for electricity by a moratorium on new hotels and large scale projects, nipping speculation in the bud.
Hotels, he said, should be required to pay the full price of the electricity they consume. Financial aid for industry should be strictly linked to greater efficiency in the use of energy and the generation of renewable sources. Subsidies should be targeted for those who can least afford a transition towards zero-carbon buildings.