Ministries and PN trade barbs over claims about solar panels at Gozo school
Government says panels were moved during renovations; PN says figures cited make n sense
Updated 4pm
Solar panels installed at schools in Gozo and in Siġġiewi are connected to the energy grid and generate solar energy every year, the government has claimed in response to PN claims.
The statement came after PN MP Mark Anthony Sammut said the solar panels that have been installed over the past decade have only generated a fraction of what they should have.
Describing this as a "scandal", Sammut said in total, Gozo schools lost 73% of the clean energy they should have been generating over the past decade.
In a joint statement, the Education Ministry and Planning Ministry both denied the PN's claims, which were slammed as being "misleading" and giving a false picture of the situation.
"The roofs of all schools in Gozo, as well as that of the Siġġiewi Primary School, are covered with photovoltaic panels and are connected to the energy grid. In fact, they contribute by generating more than 31,940.6 kWp of solar energy every year," the statement read.
PN: Your figures make no sense
The Nationalist Party quickly hit back, noting that "31,940.6 kWp" is a measure of capacity, not energy generated.
"A capacity of 31,940.6 kWp is the capacity of all the panels across the whole of Gozo. It certainly would not fit on the roofs of those schools.
"Perhaps they made a mistake and meant, instead, 31,940.6 kWh of solar-generated energy every year," the PN said.
"If that is the case, then the problem is even greater than the PN said, because it would mean that over 10 years they generated seven times less than what emerges from the reply to the Parliamentary Question answered by Minister Clint Camilleri himself.
"The figures were published by Minister Camilleri in his own reply, and it cannot be the case that the panels are working while, over 10 years, they generated only the amounts given by Minister Camilleri."
Both statements took digs at the other side's competence.
The ministry statement said that "the baseless allegations that were made show how the Nationalist Party is unaware of the facts and is trying to build its position on the energy plan on inaccuracies and untrue statements."
The PN statement, on the other hand, said "Labour’s incompetence and deceit in the energy sector are becoming increasingly clear."
"The PN is ready to give a Fresh Start to the energy sector and to the Maltese and Gozitan people," it said.