A basic necessity not a luxury

The signing of the contract for the laying of the underwater Malta-Sicily cable, electrically connecting Malta to main grid Europe, does not appear to have stimulated much public debate. Does this translate into lack of awareness on our country’s need and dependency on such major investment? Understanding the significance and magnitude of this project is pivotal in appreciating the positive long-term effect this will have on the country with regard to the lasting and uninterrupted provision of electricity.

Malta’s interconnection with mainland Europe is truly a basic need, far from luxury.

Many a times, we associate Enemalta with electricity bills, forgetting the contribution it has made towards Malta’s development over the past years.

A country lacking a constant and adequate supply of electricity would be nothing but handicapped in terms of an elementary and basic infrastructural need. It would appear less appealing in generating appetite among local and, more so, foreign investors in placing their fortunes in Malta. It would certainly not project the image Malta deserves.

The wise decision to connect Malta to main grid Europe is the result of a strategic vision adopted back in 2007. It was a strategy based on the fact that our country’s competitiveness rested upon the availability of sound infrastructure, of the most technologically advanced and available on the market. Indeed, Ernst and Young had, in its report entitled Energising Malta’s Game, listed the steady supply of electrical energy in Malta to be a main concern of leading companies and entrepreneurs.

In today’s international realities, the supply of fossil fuels very much depends upon decisions taken by non-European governments and leaders. Such dependency may, in the event of terrorist attacks, extreme weather conditions or diplomatic disputes, adversely affect the sustainability of supply. Interconnecting with the European grid would, in no uncertain terms, increase this sustainability.

In addition, it will provide us with the opportunity to operate, with greater flexibility, renewable energy technologies such as the planned offshore wind farm and solar energy. The contribution emanating from such technologies depends on weather conditions, namely wind and solar irradiation. Given this is haphazard, their output is likewise not constant, necessitating, as such, fall-back systems at instances when their contribution to the national grid is minimal. The interconnector would in such situation come into play.

An advantage that, however, supersedes all others relates to our health – our well-being. The interconnector will provide electrical supply needs through energy generated elsewhere in Europe and brought to our homes in Malta. This would lead to a direct reduction in local emissions, and perhaps even globally, should renewable technologies be the source that feed our interconnector. This would also provide additional reserve supply, making the foreseeable closure of Marsa power station all the more achievable in a few years’ time.

The Marsa power station has served our needs for decades now. Its closure shall serve our future even better. The equipment there is less efficient in comparison to the Delimara system, making each unit of power produced among the most costly on the island. This, coupled with the fulfilment of EU regulations on emissions, would necessitate an overall increased effort. All in all, its closure would translate into economic, health and environmental benefits.

This will thereafter translate into Malta’s ability to maintain a competitive edge, to maintain our attractiveness among foreign and local investors which will, in turn, protect, albeit in part, the sustainability of current and future jobs.

Without a steady and reliable supply of energy, we might as well bid farewell to future SmartCity-style projects. We can also say goodbye to new hotels and accommodation units which would sustain the increased number of tourists we have been working to attract for years on end. We could say goodbye to Malta becoming a centre of excellence in information and communication technology, research and innovation and all that comes with it.

Electricity demand has doubled and quadrupled over the past three decades. From 102MW in 1980, to 354MW in 2000 and it is expected that this year’s demand reaches the 400MW mark. Yes indeed, these statistics demonstrate the fast rate of development our country has gone through, hence the increased demand for energy supply. By 2013, the country shall be making a leap forward in its infrastructure. The interconnector is crucial in sustaining such quality leaps in our efforts to continued competitiveness.

ryancallus@gmail.com