The San Luċjan oil storage facility in Birżebbuġa is to be transformed into a new open space, and a research and investment centre in a €40 million investment.

Energy and Sustainability Minister Miriam Dalli announced the project, which is in one of the districts she is contesting in the general election, in a press conference on Tuesday.

It was the second project that Dalli unveiled in her constituency in less than one week, following a €4 million project to regenerate a pier in Birżebbuġa.

What will the €40m project entail?

Dalli said the San Luċjan area, which for decades has housed heavy enterprise, would be regenerated into a recreational zone for families and businesses. 

The project, called ‘Is- Siċċa’ (cuttlefish), is spread over an 18,000 square metre footprint. 

Dalli said that aside from offering a new open space for the public, it would also serve as a hub, for research and innovation for new industries such as aquaculture, the so-called blue economy and the circular economy.

The project was designed by Italian architecture firm Pininfarina and incorporates intelligent energy-saving systems to reach a 70% of renewable energy target.

Giovanni de Niederhausern, from Pininfarina, said that, from an economic point of view, the project will offer spaces for startups with various services and resources for entrepreneurs in the field of sustainability and innovation.

It will house incubation centres for green industry and has spaces allocated for educational facilities.

Seven percent of the area will be allocated to industry and manufacturing, whilst 50% will be space allocated for recreational use and public spaces.

“Is-Siċċa is inspired by the prominent cliffs overlooking It-Torri ta' San Luċjan; the design follows a soft, smooth gesture that connects two elements, water and earth, generating an unprecedented bond between nature and architecture,” he said.