Conversion to gas oil not before the election - PL spokesman

The extension in the monitoring period on the use of heavy fuel oil at the Delimara power station to June next year indicated that no progress on the extension’s conversion to gas oil should be expected before the end of the legislature, PL environment spokesman Leo Brincat said.

In a statement, Mr Brincat said this decision confirmed that the assurances which used to be given that the BWSC system would not be a polluting one were baseless and deceitful.

He said that apart from the technical considerations and the environmental health aspects of long-term heavy fuel oil use, one could not help noting that while the original decision was to be taken close to or mid-electoral campaign, under the new target dates this decision would be taken after the election.

Mr Brincat said that it was still not very clear why there were about eight weeks’ delay for the tests on the extension to start. One could also not understand why the new plant’s efficiency seemed to be lower than originally believed.

He noted that when the permit was issued last December, Mepa had to ensure that Enemalta did not just carry out the necessary monitoring, but also that it drew up the plans for conversion to gas oil.

Because of the movement in dates, there were serious doubts as to whether Mepa would be able to ensure that Enemalta kept its word and concluded the feasibility study on the conversion by December.

This delay and the new intensified tests confirmed how right the councils of the surrounding localities had been to request the use of gas oil instead of heavy fuel oil from the very beginning, Mr Brincat said.