Damage to the southside undersea interconnector cable has been fixed and repairs are now focused on the northside cable, Enemalta said on Saturday. 

Repair work began on Monday and has continued on a 24/7 basis, save for a few hours when works had to be halted due to unfavourable weather conditions. 

Enemalta said that repairs to the southside cable were ready for jointing by Wednesday, with focus then shifting to the other cable ahead of the final phase of repairs. 

The interconnector, which connects Malta to the EU’s electricity grid through Sicily, was sliced open in December by a ship’s anchor. The damage, which Enemalta has said was extensive, caused a nationwide blackout followed by intermittent power cuts in the ensuing days. 

Following an extensive survey of the damage, spare cable to be used for repairs was loaded onto special vessels last Saturday and taken to the damage site. 

Repairs are estimated to cost €11 million, with Enemalta saying they will claim the cost through insurance. 

With repairs ongoing, work is also being done at terminal stations in Magħtab and Ragusa, Sicily to assist the marine repair operations and prepare for the initial testing phase, Enemalta said. 

Enemalta has said repairs should be completed by March.