Powerful abattoir incinerator worries industry

The Malta Federation of Industry said it is worried by certain decisions made in the environmental sector. It said the latest cause for concern was the investment of millions of liri in a new incinerator at the abattoir in Marsa.

The FOI said it was informed that the new incinerator is of such a magnitude that it would only be cost-effective when nearing its full capacity of 12,970 tonnes annually, a volume which the abattoir would never generate. The plant will be managed by Wasteserv Malta Ltd, a public company wholly owned by the government and which is in direct competition with the private sector.

The matter can also affect industry, which could end up having no choice but to use the incinerator at a price fixed by Wasteserv, the FOI said.

The decision, it added, was bound to badly hit the operators of private incinerators who did not have the power to compete in a dominated market.

Moreover, the decision to invest in this type of incinerator did not fall in line with the position taken by the government last year regarding waste-to-energy. The FOI said it was informed that the incinerator was not compatible with such technology and would need significant additional investment to upgrade. The incinerator, it said, was another lost opportunity to reduce Malta's dependence on fossil fuel.