Frazzled nerves as power cuts burn businesses

The entertainment industry will be seeking legal advice after a power cut on Monday pulled the plug on brisk business, worth thousands of liri.

Businesses and retailers are at the end of their tether after five power outages in four days, according to Philip Fenech, president of the hospitality division of the Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises, the GRTU.

With temperatures reaching the mid-30s, tempers are flaring as people in several localities had to make do without cooling facilities over the past few days. Localities like Sliema were also without power yesterday.

The main power cut took place between 11.50 p.m. on Monday and 1.40 a.m. yesterday in Paceville, and with just two clubs equipped with generators, Malta's nightlife mecca was turned into a ghost town.

Mr Fenech said he had been inundated with calls from incensed operators who saw the evening's profits fizzle out.

Furthermore, a number of operators have claimed that equipment was damaged as a result of the subsequent power surge.

"Apart from the lost business, the impact on equipment, refrigerators, air conditioner compressors and computers is enormous. It's simply not acceptable at a time when the industry is going through a tricky period."

Mr Fenech has been asked by operators to probe whether they could resort to a legal remedy, claiming they should not have to shoulder the economic impact of Enemalta's shortcomings. The fact that one of Monday's power cuts took place during lunchtime ruined a lot of business for restaurants.

"We are far from operating at maximum capacity where kitchens, air conditioners and lights operate at full blast. What's going to happen in the peak of summer when more power is soaked up by the new hospital?" Mr Fenech asked.

The manager of one of the main Paceville bars claimed he lost some Lm700 in revenue on Monday night as he was throwing a welcome party for a group of tourists.

Enemalta Corporation yesterday apologised for the extensive power outages and for the inconvenience caused. The interruptions were caused by an unconnected series of faults, it said.

The corporation listed the faults one by one, including two faults at Marsa power station boiler 8, one on a cable at Marsa south distribution centre, and two cable faults on an 11kV feeder at Ghadira Bay, all on Monday.

Then at about 11.50 p.m. on the same day, a fault on one of the 33kV feeders to Paceville resulted in a voltage surge which was felt throughout the system, causing a number of boilers to trip resulting in outages in the south and central areas.

Yesterday, a fault on an 11kV feeder at Kordin resulted in outages in Tarxien, Marsascala and Zejtun, while the supply was interrupted in Valletta due to overloading.

At 11 a.m. an 11kV feeder in Sliema developed a fault and tripped. Some substations will remain without supply and Enemalta will rotate substations so as to avoid outages of more than four hours.

At 11.50 a.m., a transformer at Tarxien distribution centre tripped, leading to power cuts in the south.

Enemalta said that as a result of these cable faults there may be further switching operations today in the Sliema-St Julians areas, in order to balance the load and stabilise the system.

In a statement, Labour Party spokesman for Infrastructure Services Joe Mizzi said the spate of power cuts exposed the government's deceit.

"The government is well aware that demand for power increases during the summer months," said Mr Mizzi, who recalled the Nationalist government's promise 19 years ago that the new Delimara power station would solve the country's electricity problems.

Enemalta reminded customers that they may report faults and power interruptions on freephone 8007 2224 during office hours, and after office hours on 2122 3601.