The increasing demand on Malta’s energy distribution system is causing some households across the country to experience low voltage during peak hours, according to Enemalta.
Several instances of households experiencing voltage beneath 200 volts were flagged to Times of Malta, with residents complaining about their electricity supply being frequently disconnected and suffering damage to electrical appliances as a result.
Enemalta lists the standard household voltage as 230 volts with a standard fluctuation of 10% for single-phase households.
One Swieqi resident who spoke to Times of Malta explained how this is the second winter in a row that his household experiences low voltage as soon as the cold weather starts, with the house’s low voltage breaker sometimes cutting off up to 20 times between the hours of 5pm and 9pm.
Another resident in Żurrieq spoke about experiencing voltage levels as low as below 190 volts every day between 6pm and 9pm since early January.
"I often turn off our power supply to prevent our appliances from burning out and spend my evenings in the dark with my children doing their homework by torchlight", he said.
Several residents have complained about the impact of fluctuating voltage on their electrical equipment, with some highlighting damage to computers, air conditioning units, heaters and other appliances.
Others pointed out that they are unable to charge their electric cars as a result, as many electric cars have inbuilt safety systems which disable charging when the electrical supply fluctuates beyond normal limits.
Urban areas most affected: Enemalta
An Enemalta spokesperson confirmed that several localities across Malta are experiencing unusually low-voltage electrical supplies, with urban areas the most likely to be affected.
The spokesperson claimed that several factors are causing low voltage, with the ever-increasing demand for energy supply and the need for more substations being key factors.
Other factors contributing to an unstable energy supply include problems caused by solar panels emitting low voltages, the spokesperson added.
The spokesperson explained how this problem has persisted over several years, with yearly spikes of electricity demand in the winter months bringing about greater strain on Enemalta’s distribution system.
Although the overall demand for energy supply is lower in winter than in summer months, lifestyle patterns cause greater demand within specific hours of the day in winter, according to Enemalta.
NSO data shows that the supply and demand for energy tend to peak in July and August, with over 20 per cent of the yearly supply of energy being used in these two months.
Although lower than in the summer months, the demand for energy in January is generally higher than in spring and autumn. In 2021, the most recent year for which data is available, January demand reached 419 megawatts.
Demand for electricity has been growing steadily for years, and in 2022 Enemalta pledged to invest €90 million in the coming years to upgrade infrastructure, following a series of summer power cuts.
A company spokesperson said it is adding "between 40 and 50 new substations each year, together with over 50 low-voltage feeders to help stabilise distribution in the last year alone.
"We also installed 18 new line voltage regulators last year in order to improve energy distribution to rural areas and are working on several other interventions to address these problems, including reinforcing the cables used to transfer electrical supply”, said the spokesperson.
When asked whether ongoing low voltage issues are linked to last week’s power cuts and claims that the interconnector was overloaded, the spokesperson denied that this was the case, arguing that the overall energy demand during this time of the year is significantly lower than that in summer.