The Contracts Division has issued an international call for tenders for an environmental impact assessment of the wind farm being planned for Wied Rini in Baħrija, limits of Rabat.
The project, proposed by the Resources and Rural Affairs Ministry, is being considered for part-financing by the European Union under the European Regional Development Fund 2007-2013.
With an estimated budget of €195,000, excluding VAT, the tender calls for an EIA and additional studies in relation to an outline development application filed by the ministry with the Malta Environment and Planning Authority.
Experts are carrying out detailed studies on the feasibility of the project along with another two proposed wind farms at Ħal Far and the offshore wind farm at Sikka l-Bajda, Mellieħa.
The latter is the largest site with a potential to accommodate 19 large turbines generating enough electricity to supply 40,000 households. The other two sites can cater for another 7,900 households.
In all, the electricity they generate will be equivalent to 9.6 per cent of Malta's electricity demand and the savings in carbon dioxide emissions are equivalent to that produced by 134,000 cars.
The wind farms would be dismantled after 25 years in operation.
With a commitment to generate 10 per cent of all the energy consumed from clean sources by 2020, the government is hoping to produce about 4.8 per cent of this portion from the proposed wind farms.
Once completed, the wind farm at Wied Rini will be capable of generating enough energy for about 5,900 households. It will supply the north of Malta with about 28 gigawatt-hours of clean electricity annually. This is equivalent to about 1.17 per cent of the present electricity demand and 0.86 per cent of the projected demand for the year 2020.
The facility is expected to consist of up to 12 wind turbines, which will be connected to the national electricity grid through two underground 11kV cables or a single underground 32kV cable at the Enemalta distribution centre in Mosta.
The project, which is expected to cost between €13 and €18 million, also includes the installation of wind monitoring equipment to undertake the necessary wind studies prior to developing the project. Geophysical and geotechnical surveys will also be carried out.