Updated 8.46am with Enemalta statement below.

The Malta Chamber has joined calls for compensation for those affected by power cuts, saying small businesses are bearing the brunt of an “extremely worrying” spate of blackouts taking place during a heatwave.

Over the past few days, localities across Malta – particularly Naxxar, Mosta, Żebbuġ, Sliema, San Ġwann, Gżira and Żurrieq – have been left without power as the country swelters under temperatures reaching as high as 40°C.

Residents in parts of Naxxar said they had spent a third night without electricity as did others in Zurrieq. People in the Ħal Mula area of Żebbuġ, said they had a full 24 hours without access to electricity.

In comments to Times of Malta, the Malta Chamber expressed its “extreme worry” about whether there is the right energy infrastructure for the load and stressed the heavy impact on business.

A form of compensation to the customers of the country’s sole energy provider should be discussed and agreed upon with all stakeholders, it said, echoing the appeal of the Nationalist Party for the victims of the cuts and a push for reimbursement by Valletta Cultural Agency chairman Jason Micallef.

Enemalta officials said on Wednesday that Enemalta already had a compensation scheme, and people could apply on the company's website, but this only covered damage to appliances. 

Apart from the general public’s frustrations caused by the power cuts, the Malta Chamber has also highlighted that the business community was suffering “extensive damages, a negative impact on their income and profitability and also on their well-being.

“These unwanted power cuts have an even bigger strain on smaller businesses, such as restaurants, small-scale retailers and department stores,” the leading business lobby group said.

They often do not have “the luxury of investing in backup systems, such as generators and energy storage systems connected to PV systems”.

The recent power cuts have heavily impacted both the business community and the public and the Malta Chamber of Commerce Enterprise and Industry said it is “extremely worried with the current state of affairs”.

It has repeatedly cautioned about “the big investment in the network infrastructure of the island that needed to be immediately made to ensure it could take the demand and the full load throughout the entire 12 months of the year”.

Referring to Enemalta’s €90 million investment to upgrade its distribution infrastructure, announced in February 2022, the Chamber said that, in reality, a much bigger amount was required to carry out the upgrade properly.

“These power outages and inadequate infrastructure are the result of a lack of continuous and proper upgrading over the years,” it charged.

Energy Minister Miriam Dalli on Wednesday said the government would also be tapping into EU funds to boost its budget for upgrading of the power distribution centres. 

Enemalta has blamed most of the power cuts on underground cable faults rather than system overload.

The Chamber, however, pointed to the pressures brought about by the present economic model, which is resulting in an increase in population and a construction frenzy.

“The Malta Chamber believes that, before sanctioning further development, the responsible entity needs to ensure the right infrastructure is in place to take the necessary load,” it stressed.

Meanwhile, Enemalta’s customers have been left waiting on the phone as temperatures,  frustration and complaints  soar.

Since the start of the week, many took to social media to vent their anger, posting screenshots of ongoing phone calls to the company lasting as long as 45 minutes.

Busy night for Enemalta

In a statement on Thursday, the company said 40 engineers and technicians together with contracted worker, were dispatched during the night to carry out emergency works on faults that developed in scattered parts of the electricity distribution system, causing power cuts in different zones.

"Enemalta experienced its third consecutive busy night and mobilised its technical resources to reduce the duration of the supply interruptions as much as was possible. In several cases, the supply was returned in a short time through the use of alternative cables."

It said seven faults were recorded during the night in different zones. Most of the faults developed in underground cables. Repair works included fault location and trench digging before workers can actually start working on the damaged cables.