Robert Abela offers 'unconditional' apology for power cuts amid extreme heat
Thousands of people had a sleepless hot night without power between Monday and Tuesday
Prime Minister Robert Abela apologised to those who have been affected by the recent power cuts as the country is left sweltering in temperatures above 42°C.
“I want to apologise to all those who were without electricity in the last hours. That apology is unconditional,” he said.
“While we have done a lot, the challenges are big. The effects of climate change are showing, and temperatures are constantly rising and lasting longer,” he said.
Thousands of people had a sleepless hot night without power between Monday and Tuesday as faults on Enemalta's power grid left entire neighbourhoods in the dark.
Vittoriosa, Cospicua, Żabbar, Attard, Balzan, Fgura, Gharghur, Ħamrun, Kalkara, Lija, Mellieħa, Msida, Naxxar, Pembroke, Pieta, St Paul’s Bay, Swieqi, Iklin, parts of Birkirkara, Sliema, and San Gwann all experienced power cuts amidst the ongoing heatwave.
The weather has hit record high temperatures in recent days. Saturday’s maximum of 43.3°C was the highest July temperature ever recorded in Malta. The temperature reached 42.3°C on Monday while temperatures have so far hit hit 42°C on Tuesday, according to the Met Office.
On Monday, Enemalta deployed generators in various localities and redirected supply through various sub-stations as its technicians struggled in sweltering temperatures to repair cable faults.
Abela said other countries have also experienced disruptions to their electricity supply but added: “That is no excuse.”
He said the power cuts had been caused by faults in the distribution of electricity and not power generation. Since 2023, when Malta sweltered through a record heatwave and widespread failures in the energy grid, the government has been reinforcing the country’s underground cable system.
“In areas where there has been a concentration of works, the results have been positive. In areas where there has not been, the results have been less so.”
Abela said the work the government has done in recent years was “unprecedented”.
“But we still must recover from decades in which the necessary investment was not made. It is a reality that changing all those cables means closing roads, and so it must happen in a controlled manner to ensure adequate traffic flow.”
Abela said he had spoken with Energy Minister Miriam Dalli and Enemalta to accelerate works on the distribution system.
“We must ensure that the episodes we have seen in the last hours do not recur.”
‘I will not blame people’
Earlier this week, energy expert Luciano Mulè Stagno said people could help ease pressure on the electricity grid during periods of extreme heat by setting air conditioners to 25°C or 26°C instead of lower temperatures.
He also advised households to avoid using high-consumption appliances, such as washing machines and dishwashers, during the hottest part of the afternoon.
Asked why the government had not appealed to people to be more energy-conscious, Abela said:
“I will definitely not shift the blame for these last hours onto the people. In fact, the people are not to blame at all,” he said.
Pressed further, Abela said: “Putting on an air conditioner at 25 degrees is good advice,” but added that the real solution was continued investment in the distribution system.