Bid to solve power cuts but no guarantees

Enemalta was looking into the possibility of installing new equipment for power generation in order to help solve the electricity cuts that the island has had to suffer during the summer months.

The main cable, linking the Marsa south distribution centre to the existing old Mosta distribution centre, which caused recent problems, has now been repaired and was functioning. But Enemalta could not exclude the possibility of other power cuts.

"We do not plan to cut the power but faults cannot be predicted and if the demand increases again it could reoccur," the corporation said.

Thousands of householders were furious on Monday and Tuesday as the power supply went dead in areas including Mosta, Mellieha, Gozo, Attard, Rabat, Lija, Birkirkara, Zebbug, Msida and Balzan.

"The ultimate solution is the commission of the new Lm10 million distribution centre in Mosta, which we plan to energise in November," Enemalta said, explaining that the cuts were a result of the substantial increase in demand for electricity, due to the increase in the usage of air conditioners, which was "beyond expectations".

Eventually, installing new generation units, such as more turbines, would be inevitable because the load was increasing steadily over the last years and consumption has never decreased in the last 20 years.

The first phase of the new Mosta distribution centre would be started by the end of November and consists of the running of one transformer of 90 MVA (a power capacity equivalent to approximately 90 million watts) and another temporary one of 22.5 MVA.

Eventually, there would be four transformers in all: two of 90 MVA and two of 50.

A tunnel has been dug between Mosta and Marsa and contains 132 kV cables, as opposed to the previous 33 kV.

The voltage is, therefore, four times higher than current cables and their power carrying capacity is larger, Enemalta said, adding that it expected the service to improve, especially towards the northern part of Malta and Gozo.