Busy New Year's day for Enemalta

It was a busy New Year morning yesterday for Enemalta employees and additional workers had to be brought in to assist the skeleton staff on duty in order to repair the damage caused by the strong winds during the night in the Fawwara and Mellieha area in Malta as well as in Gozo.

Economic Services Minister Josef Bonnici yesterday morning visited workers at the Marsa power plant and the Pembroke reverse osmosis plant.

He said that at one point the Cirkewwa reverse osmosis plant stopped operating after an electricity pole fell over as a result of the strong winds.

This resulted in a buzz of activity, especially at Enemalta's workshops and distribution centre. No major damage was reported and the service was back to normal later in the morning.

Asked what was being done to avoid such problems occurring in the first place, the minister said Enemalta was replacing overground cables with underground ones. That ensured a more reliable supply, although problems could still arise through damage caused by contractors.

He said that this year, further investment was planned in the distribution centres and that work would start on the polishing plant in Gozo, intended to improve ground water quality.

The investment in the distribution system would result in more efficiency and less waste, the minister said.