PN wants 2023 power cuts report discussed by PAC as outages persist
PN says it also wants an account of power grid spending since
The Opposition intends to ask the Public Accounts Committee to discuss the report by the National Audit Office on the 2023 power cuts crisis.
It said the request would be made in view of its findings and the latest wave of power outages.
The audit report, published in July 2024, found that the extensive power cuts in the previous summer were caused by widespread faults across the electricity network, particularly in high-voltage cable joints, at a time of high temperatures and demand.
The report concluded that there were serious shortcomings in Enemalta’s planning and investment and a lack of investment in the distribution network. Actual expenditure on the network was significantly lower than the allocated budgets and declined despite rising demand. Between 2014 and 2023, spending on the distribution network was cut to one-third of the level recorded before 2014.
The PN said it is also demanding a detailed account of how and where €140 million reportedly spent on the power grid since 2023 had gone.
The PAC is due to meet on Wednesday.
The PN statement was signed by Darren Carabott, chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee and PAC members and Nationalist MPs Graham Bencini and Eve Borg Bonello.