The increasing number of electric vehicles and the recently inaugurated shore-to-ship system were mentioned by the prime minister on Thursday as being among the factors which were straining the power grid, leading to power cuts. The shore-to-ship system enables ships to switch off their generators, connecting instead to the onshore electricity supply.
Replying to questions by journalist Matthew Xuereb from Newsbook at an activity organised by the Labour Party, Abela stood by under-fire energy minister Miriam Dalli amid criticism over repeated power cuts.
He said that a massive programme of investment in the power grid was underway. The power grid was under pressure because of increased demand caused by high temperatures as well as other recent requirements, such as the increasing number of electric cars, and the shore-to-ship system, Abela said.
A cable replacement and strengthening programme was launched after last year's power cuts and work normally done in six years was done in six months. None of the cables and joints replaced in the months since had failed or caused power cuts. The recent faults were in areas where works had not been done or were not completed, Abela said.
That programme would continue unabated.
He also insisted that Malta does not have an energy generation problem and there is enough supply to meet demand.
The authorities had to use generators in several localities only because of failures in the cables which fed those localities, he said.
St George's Bay contamination caused by hotel
The prime minister also said that recent contamination in St George's Bay was caused by a fault in a hotel's systems.
He did not say which hotel was involved but insisted that no bays were currently closed because of overflows from the country's sewage system. (Times of Malta earlier mistakenly referred to Balluta Bay instead of St George's Bay.)
Abela also insisted that the phenomenon which saw Balluta Bay turn green earlier this month was caused by an algae bloom. It was a natural phenomenon caused by a rapid increase of temperature in a confined space, and had also happened on other beaches, he said, adding that according to EU data, Malta has among the cleanest bathing waters.
100 apply for benefit fraud amnesty
On the benefit fraud scandal, the prime minister said 100 had applied for an amnesty announced by the government a few months ago. The amnesty, he said, applied to those who had been convicted, those undergoing court proceedings and others under investigation, but did not apply to those behind the fraud scheme.
Most of the applicants, he said, were people who although ineligible for the benefits they had received, still suffered from illnesses.
He said the applications were being vetted, adding that one of the conditions was that applicants had to be prepared to give evidence against those involved in the scandal.