Caroline Muscat
Wind power investment shoots up
Government in catch-22 situation - Labour Party
A projected increase in the capacity of an offshore wind farm at Is-Sikka l-Bajda is why the estimated investment has shot up by more than €150 million.
The wind farm could have as much as double the capacity originally planned due to an expansion of the grid through the connection with Sicily, the Resources Ministry said.
In the last budget, the private sector investment for an offshore wind farm at Is-Sikka l-Bajda was estimated at €130 million.
Announcing the government's plans last Tuesday, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said the estimate has risen to anything between €280 million to €335 million. It was estimated the wind farm would feed electricity to around 40,000 households although studies have yet to be conducted.
Wind Energy Committee secretary Tonio Sant said: "The grid we have now is small and isolated, which presents difficulties because wind fluctuates. By connecting the grid to Sicily, we can transfer any surplus energy to Sicily and take it back when required."
He explained that with the present grid, Enemalta would continuously need to regulate the output from power stations to maintain stability in electricity voltage. And there were technical limitations in power stations to provide this stabilisation.
"By connecting to the Sicily grid, we will be part of a larger network that can enable us to sustain a larger wind farm capacity, which also allows us to benefit from economies of scale," Dr Sant added.
The offshore wind farm could provide four per cent of energy requirements. It was the largest of three sites proposed by the Prime Minister.
The other two sites, Wied Rini in the limits of Baħrija, and the Ħal Far Industrial Estate, could cater for another 7,900 households through land-based wind turbines. Together with the one at Is-Sikka l-Bajda, the three wind farms could generate up to 4.8 per cent of energy consumption.
Malta has to meet an EU target of 10 per cent of energy requirements from renewable sources by 2020.
But doubts are being voiced as to whether delayed action to meet renewable energy targets would now compromise sound judgement. Labour environment spokesman Leo Brincat said his party was supportive of wind farms but questioned the process.
"Government seems to have been caught in a catch-22 situation - between years of inaction as a result of which so far none of our energy needs comes from renewable sources, and the urgency to come up with visible deliverables in the run up to the MEP elections just five weeks away."
Political considerations seem to have prevailed, Mr Brincat said, referring to the contradictory conclusions over Is-Sikka l-Bajda made by the same consultants.
"Reading through the Mott MacDonald report of last January, it is evident they have rescued Is-Sikka l-Bajda from oblivion after they previously dismissed it in their 2005 report," he said.
The ministry has already submitted a planning application for the erection of a temporary wind mast at L-Aħrax tal-Mellieħa for a period of two years to measure wind capacity at Is-Sikka l-Bajda.
A pending issue with the location of the offshore wind farm is that the area hosts the largest conservation project on the islands dedicated to studying and protecting a nocturnal seabird - the Yelkouan Shearwater.
The project, worth almost €1 million, is co-ordinated by Birdlife Malta. It is partly funded by the EU and includes four governmental bodies.
The environmental organisation welcomed the investment in wind energy but said any significant damage on biodiversity had to be avoided. It pointed out that according to EU law an Environment Impact Assessment was not enough.
Birdlife, Nature Trust and Friends of the Earth said a more diversified renewable energy mix could eliminate the need to build a waste-to-energy incinerator proposed for Delimara, and save on the high financial and environmental cost.
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G Tabone
May 4th 2009, 09:48
@ Joseph Zammit
It seems you never tried to install a wind turbine becuase i have one and never found any problems with any of the entities you mentioned. Wind turbines are a very good alternative energy. Right now MEPA cannot be against something like wind turbine energy even if it's being an eyesore in the middle of a housing estate. It does no harm to anyone!!!! SO YES WE NEED TO MOVE ON AND DO THESE WIND TURBINES. We have no other way unless we want to get our DEFICIT to go higher by paying around €900,000 fine for every % we do not reach!!!!!
LGalea
May 4th 2009, 09:02
"By connecting to the Sicily grid, we will be part of a larger network that can enable us to sustain a larger wind farm capacity, which also allows us to benefit from economies of scale," Dr Sant added."
Can Dr Sant please explain how being connected to a larger network enable us to sustain a larger wind farm capacity?
What have wind farms got to do with a larger grid?
andre muscat
May 3rd 2009, 22:15
My Dearest Maltese citizens befor alternate energy is free fom the greed guzzling capitalistic corporate vampires, energy will never be cheap.MRA should be free from political electric cables tied as a noose around its neck. The board should be representative of the maltese society and gov board members should be a minority representative as EU directives. Then 350 million euros would be properly utilized by elected board of directors for the good of society. The less governmental intrusion the faster we will achieve results. LOOK AT THEIR RESULTS .catch 22
Albert Bezzina
May 3rd 2009, 20:18
Joseph Zammit. Good maths. €8000 per home. You forgot to mention over the life span of the turbines, conservatively 25 years. Try and power a home for a year on €320 in 20 years time on fossil sourced electricity.
joseph zammit
May 3rd 2009, 18:54
divide 335 million euros with 40,000 homes and you will get over 8000 euros per home. I think it will be cheaper and economically much more viable to give a wind or solar generator to 40000 for free rather than these offshore wind farms. This besides calculating the extra costs that we are used to fork out after a tender is given with the excuse that due to unforssen circumstances extra expenses had to be added. Also i am sure that with a decent help from the goverment or from more favorable incentives for putting moe kwh into the grid will also encourage more home owners to invest in new green technologies. Did anyone of you ever try to install a wind turbine? Try it out and see how impossible it is to get a permit from MEPA or the MRA on ENEMALTA.. meanwhile the goverment has a grant of 25% subsidy (not exceeding 233 euro) I hope that nobody expects that the 25% of 233 euro means that the total price is of less than 1000 euros... Very good incentive!!! WELL DONE!!
Jimmy Magro
May 3rd 2009, 11:29
The energy strategy cannot be done piecemeal. EneMalta planning new power stations. Ministry of Resources planning waste strategy with energy generation segment. MRA and OPM announce wind farm plans. Private sector dutch company applies for MEPA permit for wind farm. This looks more like a Xmas cake with many ingredients but no leadership.
If we lack the cirtical mass to make a holistic report on our waste, energy, economic, financial strategy for the next 25 years the government must appoint a reputable company to prepare the required holistic report. We cannot continue to play dice with the taxpayers money. It shows many interests by various Ministries as everyone would like to share the inherent and chronic cherry of public procurement. Government ministries need to come clean and state that by 2025 our energy costs will be lower so that people can save on their energy costs. This should be the ultimate objective.
A best practice example is a little town in Germany where the Local Council bought back the injected private electricity at 7 times the current price and this led to private households and public entities setting up their own renewable energy systems.
John Cauchi
May 3rd 2009, 11:17
The days of cheap electricity are simply fading away... and we have to accept that. I think it's about time that the government invests in the renewable energy sector in Malta. What will we do when oil runs out (this century)... or when it simply becomes unaffordable? Blackouts (longer-lasting ones, I mean, of course)??
This is the first step... one of many more to come. Let's hope it works out.
Paul Barrett
May 3rd 2009, 10:59
@ Jimmy Magro
Good questions and I would think that the basic answer is that none of these projects will produce cheaper electricity to us the consumer.
The only way the consumer can in any financial way benefit from wind and solar projects is to actually buy the equipment, install it and then having been connected to the grid, sell surplus electricity back at the same price as it is sold to the consumer or indeed more if the project was really to be taken up.
As always though, the initial outlay, the bureaucracy and uncertainty of being able to install private wind and solar items as individuals on private roofs prevents a mass of green energy being usefully injected into the national grid.
Jimmy Magro
May 3rd 2009, 10:26
In any EU application for EU funding there is a section called "SUSTAINABILITY". With the projected costs of building wind farms, whether offshore or onshore, has any of the experts involved made an economic/financial study of generating electricity from wind farms.
Will the generated electricity cost more or less than the current exploded prices that we pay in Malta?
Can someone comment on this question.
We cannot enter into another white elephant just becuase some beaucrats from Brussels issued a directive to have 10% of all member states coming from renewable energy. But who is going to pay for the investment and for the generated electricity?
I do not think that such a project should only be looked at from the environment or legal obligations point of view. The economic and financial sustainability is the most important.
Look what has happened with Mater Dei Hospital. It has really become a Mater Dei as the government is expecting that the 20 years of inertia to construct the hospital, now has to be paid by the taxpayers. The government has built a project that is not sustainable.
Same with stipends. Same with education. Same with civil service. Same with many agencies_foundations_corporations,