Matching technology with demand

An action plan to solve some of Malta's biggest environmental problems is in the final discussion stage. Three ministries covering environment, resources and finance have been involved in drawing up a draft plan for environmental technologies under the Malta Council for Science and Technology.

More efficient transnational technology transfer in the environment sector (METTES) was the aim of the first matching event held recently bringing Maltese environmental companies in touch with potential foreign partners. METTES has developed from the Innovation Relay Centre network, which has identified the need for more focused assistance in specific environmental matters. The project will assist industry and SMEs.

The action plan rests very strongly on economic instruments and the success of their implementation. Speaking on behalf of the MCST at a conference last week, Eric Flask listed areas of the Environmental Technology Action Plan in which the environment had been identified as a research and development priority. These are: electrical power generation, water production, waste management and transport.

Examining the possibility of using solar applications for cooling while reducing domestic energy consumption are among some of the proposed measures. There have also been attempts to bring in incentives for electric and hybrid vehicles, which do less harm to the environment.

A series of incentives are envisaged in the revised Malta Enterprise Act for 2007-2013 to bring about a culture of compliance. While government must continue striving towards a clear policy direction, industry should open up to burden sharing.

Chris Ciantar, representing the Environment Ministry at the three-day matching event, said that one of the challenges was to ensure government was sufficiently well-equipped to enforce regulations. Rather than viewing environmental compliance as a burden, he added that every enterprise should recognise the benefit of reduced costs from clean-ups to insurance premiums. Businesses should stop seeing environmental compliance as a burden and start recognising the benefits of reduced costs.

Malta Enterprise CEO Chris Falzon spoke on how the FP6 programme underlined growing environmental issues in industry today and listed a number of schemes set up on a pilot basis.

In a Regional Demand Profile with a focus on renewable energies and waste management, Malta has been identified as an area of demand for technologies that will create jobs and reduce pressure on the environment. Project manager Mark Azzopardi, a mechanical engineer with a background in environmental diagnostics, said that energy and water were not just environmental issues but were very much tied to security of supply.

Engineer Anton Bartolo, who is responsible for targeting technology investment, said one of the goals of the Euro-MedITI network was to help small and medium-sized businesses access the Arab market. Target countries are Egypt, Libya and Tunisia. Malta's small size makes it an ideal showcase for projects that could bring business people from different sides of the Mediterranean together.

True costs

Wasteserv is waiting for government to impose waste management fees that reflect the true capital and operational costs for waste management. Malta is still not in line with the Polluter Pays Principle (PPP) in this area.

Although a development permit has been issued for a hazard waste facility at Maghtab, operations cannot begin before a separate permit for Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control has been processed.

The new incinerator at the civil abattoir is expected to come on line in August for incineration of a number of hazardous waste streams. Wasteserv has a duty to provide limited services to local industry, yet not all types of hazardous waste can be treated in Malta.

Enemalta has embarked on a number of projects to adapt to present and future regulations. The energy corporation is to start testing the use of a bio-fuel on a single boiler next month using palm oil, which is less polluting but twice the price of heavy fuel oil.

A contract has recently been awarded to modify the Delimara boilers so that they are compliant with regulations on NOx (nitrous oxide) emissions. Another contract is for the monitoring of sulphur dioxide and dust particulates at both Marsa and Delimara.

Engineer Alexandra Meli described how a lighting audit carried out on administrative buildings of both power stations led to replacement of fluorescent tubes energy-saving bulbs, with a savings of more than Lm6,000. She added that energy saving in street lighting could be achieved with a reduction of intensity between midnight and 5 a.m., which would give a potential saving of 40 per cent.

A tender was being evaluated for the supply of solar film on windows in Enemalta offices to cut down on energy consumption by air-conditioners.

Ing. Phyllis Borg said that the Malta Resources Authority's educational campaign on micro-generation had begun. Pilot projects encouraging consumers to install renewable energy technologies are under way with a micro-wind turbine and photovoltaic panels on Enemalta buildings at Marfa and Kappara.

The authority is working on a proposal for a twinning project to investigate connection with the North African grid.

The MRA water directorate had issued a tender to track sources of harmful nitrates in groundwater while the PRODIM INTERREG programme was looking at how to face future expected droughts and water scarcity brought about by climate change.

Team manager for environmental permitting at MEPA, Michael Sant, noted that the environment is at risk not only globally but also at a local level. He said the upcoming revision of the waste directive had to be considered, and measures taken by Wasteserv had to be matched by developments in the industrial sector.

More efficient, cost-effective systems had to be put in place for packaging waste with reduction at source and better recycling. There was scope for collaboration towards a specialised approach for packaging and hazardous waste streams.

Cleaner fuels and better filters were needed for particular enterprises emitting pollution into the environment. Harmful volatile organic compounds still needed to be minimised in dry-cleaning companies and emissions from surface cleaning reduced.

Going beyond environmental compliance is the aim of a MEPA scheme that helps SMEs to take up technologies that make good business sense with free consultancy and partial funding of measures.

Perverse subsidies

In a comment from the floor, hydrologist Marco Cremona remarked that while environmental technologies were available, the only way to make them cost-effective would be to eliminate the "perverse" system of subsidies.

In response, Mr Sant agreed that the present system did not encourage uptake of environmental technologies. A MEPA study had revealed how poorly economic instruments were performing and it was hoped that this would be addressed in the next budget. He agreed that introducing changes slowly over a five-year phase-in plan to allow people to adjust was preferable to a more sudden approach, which carried a number of risks.

To be concluded