PV panels at two reverse osmosis plants to generate enough power for 415 homes

Newly installed photovoltaic panels at the Ċirkewwa and Pembroke reverse osmosis plants will generate enough renewable eletricity to power 415 households, energy minister Miriam Dalli said on Thursday.

The new PV panels, which cost €750,000, will generate a total of 1.8 million kWh of green energy per year, enough to meet the annual needs of roughly 415 families.

The Ċirkewwa plant has more than 440 panels producing 400,000 kWh a year, sufficient for about 90 homes. The Pembroke plant has 1,680 panels which will produce 1.4 million kWh a year covering the needs of 325 households.

While the Ċirkewwa installation is already completed and operating, the Pembroke array will be finalised in the coming weeks.

Both projects were funded through Water Services Corporation’s Green Bonds, “the first of their kind in Malta”.

“By using its own infrastructure to generate renewable power, the corporation is pushing forward its transition to a net-zero-impact utlility while helping the country reach its climate-action targets,” Dalli said.

Apart from the plants in Ċirkewwa and Pembroke, WSC also operates reverse osmosis plants at Għar Lapsi and Ħondoq in Gozo.

Output from the four RO plants has increased in recent years. WSC said desalinated water now accounts for 70 per cent of Malta’s drinking water production while the remaining 30 per cent comes from groundwater.

“Greater RO output and other upgrades have led to 30 per cent reductions in both chloride and chlorine levels in the nation’s tap water,” Dalli said.

“Malta’s water has long been safe to drink, but these recent improvements mean tap-water quality is now consistent across the country and with improved taste”.