Residents of an apartment block on Naxxar’s Labour Avenue are enduring power cuts up to six times a day due to what Enemalta claims is an issue with solar panels.

A frustrated resident said the power cuts began four months ago. They last between 10 minutes and an hour and affect multiple apartments and the common areas.

“The situation leaves us in a state of constant disruption and frustration,” he said.

“It’s impacting our daily routines, damaging appliances and causing financial loss.” 

He has resorted to turning off his apartment’s circuit breaker at night to avoid being woken up by appliances turning back on.

“It is unacceptable that Maltese residents are forced to live under third-world conditions, uncertain when the next blackout will strike,” he said.

The situation leaves us in a state of constant disruption and frustration

He said that while Enemalta had sent a technician twice, the problem remained unsolved. In an e-mail sent to him by Enemalta, the electricity company said the issue “is being caused by PV panels installed in the area”.

Enemalta told Times of Malta that Labour Avenue is one of the longest roads in the locality and is supplied by different feeders.

“There is one feeder on which some residents are connected to that may be experiencing voltage fluctuation issues that trigger interruptions in supply,” a spokesperson said.

It said it planned to start work “soon” to reinforce the supply system on the road. 

“Enemalta is progressing with phase 2 of network reinforcement in various localities. This includes installing 60km of new underground cables in 21 localities around Malta and Gozo.”