Four offers have been received for a project to build a tunnel between Malta and Gozo, the government announced on Thursday. 

Addressing a press conference, Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg said that offers had been received from two companies and two consortia. 

Borg said the offers included high-profile companies from countries like Italy, Turkey, France, the Netherlands and Japan. 

The minister said the offers would now be assessed before the process moved on to its next phase. 

He said the government would not be funding the project, as all construction and maintenance costs would be borne by the winning bidder. 

The minister said the government would even maintain control of all the inert material that would be generated as part of the project. He said this material should be viewed as a resource, rather than waste. 

Borg acknowledged that the project was not one that could be completed during a single legislature. He said Parliament had voted unanimously in favour of the permanent link. 

The process leading up the project had been started in 2012 by former minister Chris Said, Borg emphasised. 

Infrastructure Malta chief Frederick Azzopardi said the procurement process started in December 2018, when the government’s intention for the project was published in the European journal. 

Since then, work had been carried out on the conceptual design of the tunnel. 
Azzopardi said an evaluation committee would now analyse the bids received. 

He said the tunnel would bypass Xemxija and Mellieħa, so as not to add further pressure on the infrastructure in those two localities. 

Questioned by Times of Malta how the process would be handled differently to other large projects that have ended up mired in corruption claims, minister Borg insisted the process would be clean and transparent. 

Anthony Cachia, the director-general of public contracts, said this was a public process that had been publicised at EU level. 

He said bidders would have to satisfy clear criteria that would be evaluated in a multi-stage process. 

The final tender bid will include details such as the proposed toll for the tunnel. 

Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri said Malta was now one step closer to completing what was once viewed as a mere dream. 

He fended off criticism that the project would change Gozo for the worst. 

Camilleri said the project would merely put Gozitans on an equal footing with the  Maltese, offering them the same opportunities. 

He said the lack of a permanent link had put many companies off from investing in Gozo.