‘Sikka l-Bajda wind profile report soon’

Minister for rural affairs George Pullicino told Parliament yesterday that within the next few days the government would be given the wind profile report for a full year from the monitoring post installed at l-Aħrax tal-Mellieħa.

He said the information would be analysed to see whether it would be economically viable to install a windfarm at the Sikka l-Bajda site, kilometres off Mellieha. Twenty turbines could be installed generating about 100 megawatts per year. Similar monitoring studies were being conducted at Baħrija and Ħal Far.

The windfarm would be set up through private investment totalling €300 million. It was estimated that such a windfarm would generate as much electrical power as consumed by 40,000 families. This meant that carbon dioxide emissions would be reduced by about 300,000 tons per year.

Another 400,000 tons of carbon dioxide of emissions would be reduced when the Marsa power station closed down and the power station at Delimara was operational. This extension was built according to rigid European standards.

Mr Pullicino criticised Opposition Leader Joseph Muscat and opposition environment spokes­man Leo Brincat for not attending the inauguration ceremony of the Sant’Antnin recycling facility. He said that as an MEP, Dr Muscat, had in 2005 proposed signing a petition to oppose the project. He added that between three and 3.5 per cent of Malta’s energy requirements could be generated from waste products.

The Sant’Antnin facility was to generate cleaner energy as much electrical power consumed by 40,000 families per year. The excess heat produced by the plant would be used to heat the swimming pool at the nearby Park of Friendship with the Inspire Foundation saving about €30,000 annually in energy consumption costs.

Minister Pullicino announced that waste separation had increa­sed by 77 per cent when compared to last year. More had to be done and it was therefore right for Mepa to warn operators producing packaging waste to submit their reports and audit trails. There were two schemes assisting such operators to deal with this waste for recycling.

Mr Pullicino said that the opposition had opposed every waste management or recycling facility. The Leader of the Opposition had in 2006 misinformed farmers at Baħrija when he warned that a windfarm there could cause damage to the aquifer.

The government had launched various schemes for cleaner energy. These included incentives on solar water heaters, photovoltaic cells and installation of glazed windows which had benefitted 6,700 families over the last two years. These incentives cost €9 million but would save about €7million in energy costs per year. The opposition failed to comment positively on the feed-in tariff although it had supported it.

Another €4 million were spent in giving energy-saving bulbs to 130,000 families where other countries gave much less. The Christmas lighting in Republic Street, Valletta used energy-saving bulbs which would save 80 per cent in electrical consumption over last year.

Referring to the F-rating on climate change given to Malta by the WWF, Mr Pullicino said that this was based on information of the situation in 2008. Malta had moved forward and its climate change policy was based on the EU policy which was to be revised in 2020. No EU member got a rating better than D because the WWF gave its rating on climate change policy and action plans up to 2050.

Earlier, the minister said that Malta had its own problems which in no way could be compared to those of other countries, where wages were cut, students were protesting and unemployment was higher. There were no waste management problems as in Naples. The Maltese government continued to give assistance to vulnerable families to meet utility tariffs and increases in gas prices after the government had taken the decision not to continue to subsidise such products.

In conclusion, Minister Pullicino called on the opposition to present a unified, coherent and constructive policy on climate change and cleaner energy.