A draft energy policy for Malta launched this evening establishes a target of nine percent energy savings by 2016.
Launching the document for eight weeks of consultation, Resources Minister George Pullicino said the policy was significantly influenced by a number of EU energy and environmental policies with the priority areas and overall goals and objectives being security of supplies, environmental protection and competitiveness.
Mr Pullicino said international commitments were leading Malta towards ambitious targets for energy efficiency, renewable energy and greenhouse gas emission reduction. These were also offering new opportunities for growth.
This policy document identified six key policy areas namely energy efficiency, reduction in reliance on imported fuels, stability in energy supply, improvement in our carbon footprint, efficient and effective delivery of energy and policy support to the energy sector.
On energy efficiency, it said that sustainable energy consumption was considered a fundamental challenge to satisfy energy demands at appropriate levels using suitable technologies whilst balancing the environmental impact and cost of the energy supplies.
A National Energy Efficiency Action Plan was published in 2008 and was being pursued. It identified cost-effective measures that would generate energy efficiency and charted a plan whereby these measures were implemented in a structured holistic manner.
When it came to reducing reliance on imported fuels, the minister said Malta was actively seeking to promote and increase the use of renewable energy sources.
A target of 10 percent energy from renewable sources in final energy consumption by 2020 was set and the government was implementing and proposing various measures to tap renewable energy and diversify the energy mix.
Concurrently, sustained efforts were being made to seek opportunities in oil exploration to further contribute to reducing Malta’s reliance on imported fuels.
As Malta was a small isolated system fully dependent on the importation of fossil fuels, the implementation of strategies for exceptional contingencies outside its control was crucial to ensure stability of energy supplies.
An interconnection with the European electricity system was seen as breaking the insularity of the islands, giving the country the security of supply and enabling it to access the EU internal electricity market.
The realisation of the necessary natural gas supply infrastructure was also being pursued to provide further diversification of the energy mix in Malta.
Mr Pullicino noted that as the energy sector in Malta was the main contributor to greenhouse gases and other pollutants, the reduction of emissions of emissions was being given importance. The policy was intrinsically linked to the country’s climate change strategy and the national emissions reduction programme with policy actions and measures proposed seeking to address challenges.
On the efficient and effective delivery of supplies, the policy states that opening the energy market for competition and introducing a variety of options as energy sources for specific needs would enhance the delivery and quality of services.
The government wasproposing various measures to ensure that appropriate regulation was maintained while opening the market to competition where this was possible.
The government considered that the energy sector should be supported through fiscal, education and research policies to enable it to attain general energy policy objectives.
The government would also seek synergies with other sector polices and strategies. A clear understanding of the general and specific objectives identified was necessary to address the energy challenge.
Striking the right balance between the different objectives was essential to ensure that Malta’s national energy policy followed a truly sustainable path.
The policy can be read online at http://mrra.gov.mt/htdocs/docs/Energy%20Policy%20for%20Malta.pdf - Comments and proposals may be e-mailed to energypolicy.mra@gov.mt for the next eight weeks.