Enemalta is completing a major upgrade of the electricity network in Gozo to increase reliability of service to its customers on this island, the company said.

It said in a statement this upgrade forms part of the its €80 million network reinforcement project, launched in 2014.

In Gozo, this included the development of the new 33kV Xewkija Distribution Centre, the upgrading of 11kV substations and the addition of 12 kilometres of new underground high voltage cable connections to consolidate network redundancy and provide the necessary capacity for current and future electricity demand.

The new infrastructure was aimed to enhance reliability by reducing the risk of supply interruptions to customers as well as reducing the duration of interruptions caused by storm damages, natural faults or other unexpected network disturbances. 

The new Xewkija Distribution Centre was Enemalta’s second distribution centre in Gozo. Built in a more centrally-located area than the existing 1987 Qala Distribution Centre, the new centre would improve security of electricity supply to Gozo as the island would no longer be dependent on one such system.

Gozo is connected to the national electricity grid on mainland Malta through a number of 33 kV subsea cables, some of which are routed through Comino, where Enemalta operates another distribution centre. Until a few months ago these cables supplied the Gozo network through the Qala Distribution Centre only.

The Xewkija Distribution Centre is introducing an alternative network node with the necessary capacity to provide for the island’s electricity demand from the mainland’s network.

One of the distribution centre’s transformers, installed late last year, was fully tested and connected to the network a few weeks ago. The installation of the second transformer, which was brought to the new distribution centre from the Qala Distribution Centre last month, is expected to be commissioned within a few weeks, when the distribution centre will be fully-energised.