Parliament holds surprise power station debate

Parliament this evening held an emergency and unexpected debate on the power station extension, ahead of consideration by Mepa tomorrow (Thursday) of an application for an Outline Development Permit for the project.

The emergency debate was requested by Opposition leader Joseph Muscat.

The one-hour discussion was opened by Labour MP Evarist Bartolo, who insisted that Mepa should put off its consideration of the Delimara power station extension because the report before it was seriously flawed. The Mepa process should also be postponed because of the ongoing investigation by the Auditor-General.

The report before Mepa was inaccurate, for example, about the space which would be taken up by the extension, since the dimensions did not include the space needed for storage of the heavy fuel oil.

The process for the granting of the contract for the power station extension was also vitiated, Mr Bartolo said.

The report before Mepa made reference to the technology selected for the power station extension. The case officer spoke of the 'best available technology', but the technology that had actually been selected was an untested and untried prototype.

Coincidentally, the local representative of BWSC, the Danish firm that had been granted the power station extension contract, also had links with Lahmeyer International, which had been commissioned to carry out an independent technical assessment of the bid.

How could this be acceptable? This was completely unethical by the government and the company itself.

This, alone, Mr Bartolo said, vitiated the process and justified that the matter should be thrown out.

Referring to the disposal of fly ash, sludge and other toxic material produced by the power station, Mr Bartolo said it had been estimated that this process alone would cost €12 million a year, and he was therefore calling on Enemalta to explain how it had suddenly brought down its projected cost to €2.5m.

Yet the report before Mepa did not explain why the new power station equipment would not operate using diesel, instead of the more harmful heavy fuel oil.

Indeed, Mr Bartolo said, it was shameful that the power station extension was selected before the environment impact assessment was concluded, What would happen once the new equipment started causing more environmental harm than expected? Alas it would, by then, be too late.

SELECTED BID WAS 'BY FAR THE CHEAPEST'

Infrastructure Minister Austin Gatt said that Opposition attempts to link BWSC with Lahmeyer, which had conducted the independent technical evaluation of the bids, did not hold water, because the bidder that was actually found to have the best technology was Bateman.

BWSC only won the contract because its bid was far cheaper.

Dr Gatt said that the Opposition's tactics on the power station extension were aimed at instilling doubts on a process which was public and transparent.

Lahmeyer had assessed the three technologies proposed in the bids and found that they all met EU and local environmental standards. Indeed, it was found that the BWSC equipment was not as good as that proposed by Bateman. Bateman only lost the contract because is bid was more expensive, even when considering the costs of the waste disposal.

As for the environment impact assessment, Dr Gatt asked whether the opposition expected such EIAs to be made on the basis of all bids. This had never been done. The EIA was made on the basis of the selected technology because the right to choose rested on the contracting person.

The minister said the Opposition should not try to politically influence Mepa's decision-making role. But, alas the Labour Opposition had not forgotten its practices of old.

Indeed, the Opposition was also sticking to its tradition of always opposing power station growth.

Dr Gatt said Marsa power station had to close by 2012 or Malta would face hefty fines. By that time, under government plans, Malta would have in place the power station extension and the connector to the European grid.

But did the opposition want to delay all this so that Malta would face serious problems, just months before the general election?

Concluding, Dr Gatt said there was no reason why Mepa should not tomorrow (Thursday) calmly consider and then take its decision on the power station extension.

GOVERNMENT 'SAFEGUARDING MEPA INDEPENDENCE'

Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco insisted that Parliament should not interfere in the operation of an Authority composed of representatives of various independent experts as well as two MPs.

The very purpose behind the setting up of Mepa was to remove this sort of decision-making from politicians.

What Mepa would consider tomorrow was not a full development permit, but an Outline development permit. Mepa would discuss whether or not to approve the concept of the extension of the Delimara power station.

Even if the Outline permit was granted, that would not be enough for building works to start.

Dr de Marco said the operation of the power station equipment would not be determined by this Outline permit but by an environment permit, an IPPC, which would need to be issued with the full development permit.

If the Outline permit was issued tomorrow but then the equipment for the power station was changed, the EIA would have to be changed before the full development permit was considered.

Dr de Marco said it would be a very serious mistake for the House to interfere in Mepa's consideration of development permits. The executive had delegated the decision-making powers for the granting of development permits to Mepa.

The independence of Mepa should be respected and it should be allowed to decide, on its own, whether to consider or suspend its consideration of the Outline permit or whether to accept or turn down the application.

OPPOSITION 'TRYING TO INFLUENCE' MEPA

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said this was a clear Opposition attempt to influence Mepa. That was why the debate was being held today.

The government was respecting Mepa's independence and calling on the board members to decide in the country's best interests.

Dr Gonzi said he found it strange how the Opposition was continuing to make these sort of arguments when the government had repeatedly declared that the BWSC contract was awarded because it was the cheapest and would mean the lowest energy bills.

The Opposition criticized the government over high power bills, yet it then wanted Enemalta to choose technology for the power station extension which would yield much higher bills for the people and businesses.

Yet again, the Opposition was not taking decisions in the best interests of the country, Dr Gonzi said.

GOVERNMENT 'WOULD HAVE LOST' PARLIAMENTARY VOTE

Winding up, Opposition leader Joseph Muscat said Parliament was the country's highest institution and it should not be gagged. Once Parliament had decided to put off its debate while it awaited the investigation by the Auditor-General on the granting of the power station extension, so too should others.

No one was saying that Mepa should not decide freely, but that did not mean that Parliament should not express itself.

The Prime Minister was trying to imply that the government did not interfere in Mepa's workings. Yet even Mepa minutes showed instances where the Office of the Prime Minister intervened to overturn or influence decisions.

Dr Muscat said the power station development application was submitted in 2005, so what was the current urgency?

Outline development permits would be eliminated in terms of the Mepa reform, because they were seen as being the root of all evil. Yet for such a project which would have major environmental, economic and social consequences, this route was being followed. Why?

Why not await the Mepa reform? And why not await the Audit Officer's investigations? Why this timing?

How could the people not be concerned about how the government would export 10,000 tons of toxic waste a year when it had not been able to even control the black dust problem in Fgura?

How had the government decided to go for a heavy fuel plant when its previous trend had been towards a gas firing plant? It was not true that the former was cheaper in the long run.

Mepa could take its decision, Dr Muscat said, but Parliament had a right to speak, and the Mepa members should note what was being said.

The Prime Minister knew that had the House been able to take a vote on this issue today, the government would have lost, Dr Muscat said, because three MPs, Jesmond Mugliett, Franco Debono and Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, had expressed their concerns.

The country should note the spirit of what was said and not said and take the proper decisions, Dr Muscat concluded.