Government Investments Minister Austin Gatt yesterday visited Malta's longest underground tunnel, a newly dug eight-kilometre long gallery linking Enemalta's Marsa distribution centre to the Delimara power station.
Enemalta chairman Alex Tranter said the tunnel, work on which started in 2001, had cost about €9.3 million (Lm3.9 million). The gallery is 20 to 40 metres deep, four metres high and five metres wide.
Although for 7.5 kilometres the work was plain sailing, there were problems along a stretch of 500 metres where big boulders started to fall into the tunnel, which then had to be reinforced. The reinforcement sucked up 40 per cent of the cost.
Mr Tranter said that four 132 kv electricity distribution cables had started to be laid and all would be in place by the end of the year. At €302.82 to €349.41 (Lm130 to Lm150) per metre, not only was it more cost effective to dig the tunnel rather than run the cables above ground but it had also avoided disturbing people and digging up roads. All the material dug out was recycled.
Dr Gatt said the system would permit regular maintenance and quicker detection and repair of damage.
Enemalta's gallery network also includes a five-kilometre long tunnel between Sta Venera and Mosta, a one-kilometre long tunnel between Msida and San Ġwann, a 1.5-kilometre long tunnel between Delimara and Marsascala and a one-kilometre long tunnel between Tarxien and Kirkop. A new one-kilometre long gallery was also being dug between Sta Venera and Msida.
The minister said that Enemalta's plan was to dig another six kilometres of tunnels including one between Marsascala and Ricasoli to supply SmartCity and another between San Ġwann and Pembroke to prepare for the planned cable connection with Sicily. These were estimated to cost about €6 million (Lm2.58 million).
In the next four years, the corporation was planning another six distribution centres. They would pave the way for Malta's system to be connected to Sicily's, a connection estimated to cost about €280 million (Lm120.2 million).
Dr Gatt said the government wanted this investment to make up for the closure of the Marsa power station by 2013. This would also be combined with investment the government was committed to make in the generation of energy from alternative sources.