SmartCity underscores energy-efficient measures

SmartCity Malta said yesterday that significant energy-efficiency measures were included in the project's design process.

Referring to statements regarding the energy-efficiency implications of the knowledge-based township it is developing in Ricasoli, Kalkara, SmartCity Malta said it has invested in and carried out an exhaustive and professional environmental impact assessment that has been submitted to, and accepted by, Mepa.

The EIA has also been submitted to all regulatory authorities, local councils and NGOs for their review and comments. It said the submission of the EIA is an integral part of the complete statutory planning process, the next step of which is the holding of a public hearing, after which the EIA will be concluded.

All the impacts and mitigation measures included in the EIA were arrived at following extensive studies carried out by international reputable experts, SmartCity Malta said.

In parallel with this exercise, SmartCity Malta has also invested in a traffic impact statement to clearly assess the necessary upgrades to roads and junctions leading to the township.

The infrastructure requirements and plans for SmartCity were developed by leading international firm Mouchel. Mouchel computed the energy requirements for SmartCity Malta at 41.2 MW. The EIA provides a detailed breakdown of these requirements. SmartCity Malta explained that such a requirement is the result of significant energy-efficiency measures included in the design process of the project. Furthermore, it added, the EIA is based on the principle of "worst-case scenario" because the impacts of the worst possible situation have to be taken into consideration.

"It is unlikely that the full load of 41.2 MW would be eventually used. However, the supply capacity to the project has to be in line with this requirement to ensure that if such demand is actually required then the national infrastructure would not be failing the project. "It is pertinent to keep constantly in mind that sufficient and redundant uninterruptable power supply is a fundamental requirement for the attraction of ICT and media business to Malta. This is a hard fact," SmartCity Malta said. It argued that serious ICT and media businesses will not be attracted to a business park with a questionable degree of power supply.

SmartCity is developing the project in line with the international LEED (Leadership in Energy Efficiency Development) standards, a first in the development sector in Malta.