The undersea power cable between Malta and Sicily is not expected to be completed before the next general election, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said this morning.

"The power cable will not function before the next election, I do not think we can make it," Dr Gonzi said.

He made the comment during the interview programme Ghandi xi Nghid, on Radio Malta. The interview was conducted by Andrew Azzopardi.

Dr Gonzi said the interconnector is very important for Malta because it will enable the country to be able to shop around Europe for the cheapest electricity and it would be less reliant on fuel.This was very different than in the case of fuel purchases, where it was difficult for Malta to negotiate special rates because volume was small.

Dr Gonzi criticised Labour for not coming out with the plans it said it has to reduce power tariffs, insisting this was not a game of poker and the people should know where they stood.

The general election is due to be held by mid 2013 at the latest.

Just yesterday, Resources Minister George Pullicino said the interconnector will be commissioned next year. He was making the argument that the shutting down of the power station at Marsa will mean that there will 400,000 less tons of CO2 in the air.

The commissioning of the interconnector, along with the extension of the Delimara power station, is seen as a pre-requisite for the closing down of the Marsa power station, which has already exceeded an extension of operational hours granted to it in terms of EU rules.

Mr Pullicino in comments to timesofmalta.com said the whole process was dependent  on the granting of permits by the Italian authorities. That is expected in the first quarter of next year. The production of the cable will then start, and laying will commence in October. The laying cannot take more than 12 months after which the commissioning process starts.