Temporary power station lands at Freeport
€37 million diesel-run 60-megawatt plant is set to help prevent more power cuts
A temporary power station to help prevent more power cuts has landed at the freeport in Birżebbuġa.
The €37 million diesel-run 60-megawatt plant is set to be fully operational by mid-August.
Several localities have experienced power cuts throughout the last two weeks as temperatures rise to the mid and high 30ºC temperatures. The cuts even sparked Enemalta to put a number of mobile generators in the streets to power households.
The interruptions come a year since most of Malta and Gozo sustained repeated power cuts in the midst of a heatwave, sparking a crisis.
Enemalta’s executive chair Ryan Fava told Times of Malta the energy company had obtained the plant as part of a wider effort to prevent last year’s situation from repeating.
UNEC Ltd, the Bonnici Bros-owned firm that won the €37 million contract to provide the temporary power station, was contractually bound to start operating it this month.
On Saturday morning, Enemalta said the new emergency generation plant was being unloaded at the Malta Freeport.
"This generation plant will be used if one of our main generation sources are not available.
Enemalta said it will be leasing 60MW of additional generation capacity until the new second Malta-Sicily interconnector is commissioned.
"We are constantly upgrading our electricity infrastructure to secure the provision of electricity."