Updated 1.30pm

Power outages persisted through the ninth night, with residents of various localities dreading the onset of sunset, anxious it will be their turn to sweat the night away through a power cut.

Guardamangia, Gudja, Ħamrun, Msida and Pieta residents reported power cuts through the night, with some resorting to sleeping on their balconies and roof, thanking their lucky stars that the temperature has finally started to drop.

Others who make use of CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machines took to social media to express concern that another night without power could be "fatal" for them. 

In Ħandaq (Qormi), power has been out for over 32 hours.

A pasta business owner told Times of Malta that power at his family-run factory went out on Tuesday at 5am and was still gone by Wednesday 8.30am.

So far, most of his goods are still stored in cold rooms, but he is worried the products will not last the day and is looking into renting a generator.

An elderly Sliema couple had to endure the third night in a row without power.

"Thank God for an expensive battery-operated fan," the son of the 90-year-old couple told Times of Malta.

Similarly, residents of Mensija in San Ġwann spent a night in the dark. Power went out at 10pm on Tuesday, and electricity had not yet been restored by 1pm on Wednesday.

A Gżira resident meanwhile woke up at around 1am when the power went out, and resorted to sleeping in a small balcony.

"I guess last night was our turn. It was a very uncomfortable night - the only reprieve was a slight breeze that seems to have picked up through the night. and the power only returned at 8.30am when I was headed out for work. I'm exhausted. 

"I worry about our rescue dog, who needs a functioning fan, or ac, all day."

Similarly, a Birkirkara reader said she set up a camping mattress on her roof for some respite during a power cut in the Ta' Paris area that lasted from 10pm to 5am.

This was the second time she suffered a sleepless night caused by the outage, following a 23-hour power cut last week. 

"I invested in acs for a comfortable summer and today had to go to the additional expense of ordering two wireless fans since I am sure we have not seen the end of this situation."

In Kalkara, a resident complained of another night without electricity, after having experienced a 20-hour power outage between Friday and Saturday.

As others have complained over the past few days, he said the interactive Enemalta map is not showing all power outages.

In  Żebbuġ residents without electricity who had to leave their balcony doors open complained about festivities close to the church that went on till 4am.

The locality is currently celebrating St Joseph festa.

"Given that half of Żebbuġ is without electricity can someone stop the party going on somewhere near the church?  All windows are open and  I  don't want to deal with the heat and noise at one go," a social media user lamented.

The power cuts are causing more than inconveniences. In some cases, they risk having serious consequences on people's health. 

One affected resident took to social media to note that power cuts were forcing them to sleep without a CPAP machine switched on - something their doctor warned could place a fatal strain on the heart. 

 "So tell me dear minister what am I to do?" she asked. "Three nights of lack of electricity. What kind of compensation can you give me and other people that have this and other medical issues?"

A pasta business owner had to send his staff home on Tuesday at 5am. They are still in the dark.

A pasta business owner had to send his staff home on Tuesday at 5am. They are still in the dark.

One new high-voltage cable fault

Enemalta said in a statement it had registered one new high-voltage cable fault in the country’s electricity distribution system on Tuesday night, down from 13 the previous night.

It said the only high voltage network fault recorded on Tuesday night affected customers in parts of Safi and Kirkop and electricity supply to these consumers was restored in less than 75 minutes.

Meanwhile, throughout the night Enemalta continued repairing the underground cable faults caused by the heatwave. All areas affected by these faults - except for two sites in Qormi - were reconnected to the grid through alternative connections by Wednesday morning.

The company said it had already repaired 59 of the 82 cable faults registered during the last nine days.

Respite from the heat

Localities across Malta and Gozo have had to contend with nine consecutive nights of power cuts during a heatwave, with blackouts lasting up to 36 hours in many cases. 

According to the Met Office, the heatwave seems to be letting up, with the temperature on Wednesday expected to reach 35°C.

Wind will also be picking up, forecast to reach force six from a northwesterly direction. 

The temperature peaked on Monday at 42.7°C, with health authorities confirming on Tuesday that at least four people died of heat-related issues over weekend.

Enemalta has already warned that a drop in temperatures in the coming days will not mean that there will not be any more power cuts.

During a Mellieħa site visit on Tuesday, engineer Chris Cutajar told Times of Malta that some of the electricity cable joints damaged in the past days date back to colonial times.

Cutajar is one of several of the company's workers who have been labouring around the clock to fix dozens of cable faults that have caused power cuts across Malta and Gozo over the past nine days.