The government is planning to set up two large battery plants at Delimara and Marsa to store energy generated from renewable sources.

Energy stored by the batteries will be used during periods when demand for power is high. 

The project was launched by the government-owned Interconnect Malta, which falls under the Energy and Environment Ministry. Interconnect Malta will carry out the project in collaboration with Enemalta and its subsidiary company, International Energy Centre Ltd. 

The plants will be operated and maintained by the two companies. The two BESS battery plants are expected to be completed in 2026. 

A company statement sent to Times of Malta announcing the plans did not list technical specifications for the two plants. Instead, it said that the company is designing the project's technical parameters. 

Applications for both the Marsa and Delimara projects have been filed with the Planning Authority and information provided to the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA). 

Interconnect Malta is the same company entrusted with the development of the second interconnector with Sicily. 

The announcement of the €47 million investment, co-financed by the European Union, comes days after Malta signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Libya for a “renewable energy” interconnector between the two countries earlier this week.

Few details about that agreement were provided. 

Malta generated 289.5 GWh of energy from grid-connected photovoltaic panels in 2022, up 13.2 per cent from the previous year. However, renewable energy only accounts for 10 per cent of total energy production, according to figures for 2021. 

Investors in the renewable energy sector have expressed a measure of frustration about the sector's rate of growth. Earlier this year, MaltaEnergy CEO Noel Gauci claimed his proposals to install PV panels above public car parks and other public land had been ignored.

Apart from reducing emissions, increasing the share of energy generated by renewables is considered key to avoiding a spike in prices, reducing the country's reliance on energy imports. 

Stock render image of battery storage systems

How will the battery storage plants work?

The battery energy storage system (BESS) to be set up at Delimara and Marsa will store energy generated from renewable sources, to be used when the demand for electricity is high, especially during the summer months. 

The Delimara battery plant will be located on the site of the current power station while that in Marsa will be located in underground tunnels of the now-shut Marsa power station. 

It is estimated that the Delimara project will cost €35 million, with that in Marsa costing €12 million. The projects are being co-financed by the European Union. 

Just last summer, Enemalta blamed record demand and increased pressure on the network for a series of midsummer power cuts that left several localities without electricity in the sweltering heat for hours on end. Enemalta had postponed all non-essential scheduled power cuts to try and , as demand for electricity reached a record high. 

Through the battery systems, electricity generated from renewable sources during the day can compensate for the spike in the demand for power in the evening. 

The BESS project is also intended to mitigate weather-related challenges posed by renewable energy sources, which are reliant on climatic conditions and can therefore lead to significant dips in generation during moments of bad weather. 

Having battery-stored renewable energy will also allow the country to reduce its reliance on fossil fuel-generated power at peak times, the company said, helping Malta achieve its decarbonisation targets. 

The BESS project will also help EneMalta strengthen the security supply as the batteries can also be used as an alternative means for a “black start".

A black start is an initial source of electrical energy in order to restore the supply to customers during emergencies that cause blackouts, such as when a ship’s anchor was caught and damaged the interconnector last year.