Two nationwide blackouts were averted in October thanks to the interconnector after the new Electrogas power station tripped twice, Times of Malta has learnt.

Enemalta had to switch its energy sourcing to the Sicily interconnector and temporarily run its power plant on gas oil to prevent blackouts that would have affected the whole country, sources familiar with the incident said.

The Electrogas power station failed on October 5 and 6, according to the sources.

The government has signed an 18-year agreement with Electrogas, binding Enemalta to buy gas from the new plant’s operators. This gas is supplied by Azerbaijan’s State-owned energy company, Socar, which owns a third of the new plant, along with Siemens and a partnership between the Tumas and Gasan groups.

READ: Evidence of unreliability and faults at new power plant

A source said the failures came at a financial cost for Enemalta, which threatened to hold Electrogas responsible for losses and damages incurred as a result.

The Times of Malta reported on Friday that Enemalta chairman Frederick Azzopardi had flagged “evidence of unreliability and faults” in both the construction and operation of the new power station.

He wrote to Electrogas and the government in August expressing Enemalta’s concerns on whether the new plant could guarantee the security of energy supply.

Mr Azzopardi said Enemalta was not yet aware whether this was down to “incompetence” by Electrogas or there were more significant underlying problems with the new plant.

Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi had dismissed suggestions by then Opposition
leader Simon Busuttil that the LNG tanker providing gas to the new project should be removed, saying doing so would lead to blackouts.