Updated July 20, 8.30 pm
Some localities across the islands have remained without electricity for more than 20 hours as sustained power cuts continue to impact parts of the country.
On Saturday evening residents of Gżira and Għarb in Gozo told Times of Malta they were approaching close to 24 hours of not having any power, with some lamenting the discomfort of trying to stay cool in the dead of summer.
Others also pointed out the fridges full of food they were going to have to throw away due to the extended period of time their groceries had not been refrigerated.
Summer power cuts have continued unabated since Friday evening with several different localities across Malta and Gozo experiencing interruptions to their electricity supply.
On Saturday evening, some reported having had to endure almost 24 hours without electricity, as intermittent power outages continued being reported in Gżira, Msida, San Ġwann, St Julian's, Lija, Mosta and Naxxar as of 5 pm.
"We have been without electricity since Friday 8.30 pm. Now it's Saturday at 2.30 pm. Still no electricity. Who is going to pay for the waste of food we have to throw away?" one business owner told Times of Malta.
"Was one year was not enough time to sort out this issue?" he asked.
One person who planned a weekend getaway to Gozo said that their accommodation in Għarb had remained without power since 10 pm on Friday.
“We came to escape the hustle and bustle of Malta and got a power cut,” she said.
“How can we attract tourists to our islands?”
Two people from Gozo said they had so far spent almost 24 hours without power.
“Our Freezers are defrosting and food in fridges to be thrown away,” one woman said.
“The prime minister and power company must ensure that Gozo is not forgotten and that generators are a priority on this island. I fear these are not the last of power cuts we will experience this summer.”
Meanwhile, Enemalta said it has installed 14 diesel-powered generators in various localities to cope with the crisis, with chairman Ryan Fava telling a news conference that the generators are safe and that residents have nothing to worry about.
Residents in areas of Gżira, Sliema, St Julian's, San Ġwann and the Gozitan villages of San Lawrenz, Għarb, Kerċem and parts of Għasri spent the night without power and still had no electricity as of 9am on Saturday.
Readers said they were unable to reach Enemalta for information as phone lines were busy.
"This is the 4th major power cut we've had in the past five days, this one being by far the worst," an Għarb resident said. "No explanations, no updates."
A resident of Triq Emmanuele DeBono in Kappara said: "We have been without electricity since 9pm on Friday. It is now 1.15pm. Breathing machines could not be used. We also need to use equipment for work purposes, which is causing us great distress. Contacting Enemalta is useless because they have no idea when the electricity will be restored."
The latest series of power problems began at around 10.30 pm on Friday evening, when an Enemalta live power outage map showed that Fontana, Għarb, Għasri, Kerċem, Munxar, Victoria, San Lawrenz and Żebbuġ in Gozo were experiencing a power cut due to a high-tension outage.
Enemalta blames high voltage issues
In a public statement on Facebook on Saturday morning, Enemalta said problems in both affected regions were due to high voltage faults.
"In Gzira, two faults developed on our 33kv cables, which are an integral part of our distribution network in the area. In Gozo, three 11kV cables fault in Għasri developed which supply electricity to nearby areas," the company said.
It did not provide an estimate of when residents and businesses in affected areas could expect power to return.
Energy Minister Miriam Dalli acknowledged people's frustrations and said the series of large-scale generators appearing across the country - something Enemalta' CEO described as the company's "plan B" - would offer affected households and businesses some respite.
Opposition leader Bernard Grech said Malta deserved a government capable of properly planning and investing in energy infrastructure.
Tourism stakeholders said they were increasingly concerned about Malta getting a bad name internationally.
"A lack of investment and cohesive planning to address the growing population of residents and tourists in Malta is taking a toll on Product Malta," the Malta Hotel and Restaurants Association said.
"Decisions regarding Malta's future over the next 15 years must be made now and communicated clearly to all stakeholders," it said.
Consecutive days of faults
The Friday evening problems which stretched into Saturday continued a days-long pattern of electricity outages across the country.
Earlier on Friday, Enemalta's live power outage system showed that parts of Marsa, Ħamrun, Santa Venera, Gżira and Sliema were all experiencing a power cut. These were all attributed to high-tension faults.
Times of Malta readers also reported not having power in Fgura, San Ġwann, Kappara, St Julian's, Swatar and some parts of Gozo.
Residents in Sliema who spoke to Times of Malta said that the power went out in the Tigne area on Friday at around 4 pm. Others said they have been experiencing intermittent disruptions to other electricity since Tuesday.
One resident said that their home was left without power for almost all of Thursday night, with electricity returning sometime at 1 am on Friday morning.
Ħamrun residents reported the power going out shortly after 8 pm, with Enemalta sending them an SMS notification that they were working to restore the power as quickly as possible.
Residents in St Julian's and Swieqi also reported that electricity was surging in their homes on Friday, with electricity going out for a few minutes before swiftly returning.
On Wednesday night five localities, experienced overnight power cuts, which Enemalta said were caused by high-tension cable faults.
Gozo-wide power cuts were also reported twice this week.
Are you impacted by unplanned power cuts? Get in touch at newsroom@timesofmalta.com