A green energy push will power almost 7,000 homes as the government announced a call for private investment in renewable energy plants.  

Regulator for Energy and Water Services (REWS) unveiled the initiative on Thursday. It seeks to produce 19 megawatts of electricity supplying 6,941 households each year.  

“The shift to renewable energy should not only be a government responsibility but the private sector's as well,” Energy Minister Miriam Dalli said. 

Investors may apply between May 22 and 30 to build a renewable energy plant that produces a minimum of one megawatt of energy.

They will then compete to be among those chosen to produce the 19 megawatts available in the scheme. 

Application forms will be available from Friday to give would-be investors enough time to prepare.  

The private sector will make the initial capital investment in renewable energy plants, but “attractive” feed-in tariffs would allow them to make a profit, REWS CEO Marjohn Abela said. 

Abandoned landfills, roofs, disused stone quarries and car park tops can all be used for green energy plants, Abela said. 

“Applications are not limited to solar plants,” he said.  

Once operational, the green energy will reduce 11,582 tonnes of carbon dioxide from our atmosphere every year, Minister Dalli added.  

Over 20 years, the government will pay €30 million for energy from projects in this scheme, she said.   

Standing at 12.1%, Malta has already surpassed its 2030 EU renewable energy target of 11.5%, Dalli said. 

At a Times of Malta and European Commission event in January, the energy minister had said that the government's ambition is to go further, with a minimum target of reaching 50 megawatts of renewable energy produced by 2030.