No gas option for new Delimara plant

We refer to the recent editorial in which it was stated: “While question marks continue to be raised over the merits of choosing heavy fuel oil over gas for the new (Delimara) plant...”

This is factually incorrect. Malta does not have a supply of gas at present and will not have one before 2016 at the earliest.

This means that whatever plant was chosen, all plants would have run on fuel oil from 2011 to 2016 or to whatever date a secure supply of gas to Malta is secured. If and when the decision is taken to go for gas for all our plant, the new plant chosen can and will be converted to gas firing.

There is, obviously, an additional capital cost but evidence given before the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee clearly shows that for the consumer the plant actually chosen (BWSC) still remains cheaper than both the other plants (MAN and Bateman), even following the additional capital cost to convert it to gas.

This is not Sunday talk – detailed workings done by professionals exist to prove the point. The opposition representatives on the committee did not even dispute the workings or their conclusions, as the minutes clearly show.